


Finding a Home

by TheShadowsofJuniper



Category: One Piece, RWBY
Genre: Ace Deserves Happiness, Ace Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because Marineford will not happen, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Gen, My First Fanfic, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-12 22:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18019286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShadowsofJuniper/pseuds/TheShadowsofJuniper
Summary: One month after Portgas D. Ace is born, Garp loses track of his newly adopted grandson while visiting the Remnant island of Patch. Reeling from the recent loss of Summer, Taiyang accidentally picks up a new baby with silver eyes and decides to adopt little Ace. After all, three year-old Ruby always wanted to be an older sister...





	1. Finding a Home

Portgas D. Ace was barely a month old when he was lost.

Garp the Fist and the Hero of the Marines was not used to caring for babies. He had taken care of and "raised" his son long ago (if leaving the child alone for months and training from hell could be considered "raising"), but that did not mean he was an expert in child rearing. Which was why when his ship stopped on the island of Patch and he set down the tiny blue bundle that held the infant, he thought nothing of it.

It was true that Patch was deep in the New World, in the realm of Remnant to be precise, but Garp saw that as no issue.

Yes, Remnant was filled with terrible monsters known as Grimm (Grimm that were only kept in Remnant due to an ancient shield that made traversing into and out of Remnant near-impossible. Remnant and its Kingdoms were even more isolated than Wano Country.).

Yes, the World Government left Remnant to its own devices (because the World Government may be arrogant, but they knew that they could not win a war when many of Remnant's people were  _born_  with supernatural powers, their technology made Vegapunk jealous, and their airships could fly right up to Mariejois).

Yes, only the highest positions in the Marines and some pirates knew of Remnant's existence with even the Celestial Dragons remaining ignorant (for the safety and happiness of the people, the highest-ups claimed).

Yes, Remnant could be considered a separate world from the one the World Government ruled (different powers, different rules, even different human-like  _species_  known as "Faunus").

However, that did not stop Garp from taking his new adopted grandson into the secretive, secluded section of the New World that may as well be a different planet. Perhaps it was sentimentality that drove him to take baby Ace (Garp had to check the little note he had attached to the boy's blanket to make sure he remembered his name correctly) to Patch.

After all, this was one of the places where he had successfully caught up to Ace's father, the Pirate King Gol. D. Roger. It was also one of the places where Garp could not try to capture him. Not would not.  _Could_  not.

The Huntsmen did not respond well to outsiders battling on their turf.

The tentative "peace" between the Kingdoms of Remnant and the World Government was very fragile indeed. If Garp thought about it, he would hate to see the day their hesitant truce fell to pieces.

However, Patch was a little, insignificant island, and Garp was not the most careful of guardians, so he saw no issue in setting little Ace down on a cart for a moment as he studied the port town he had sailed to.

He saw no issue in turning away for a moment and letting himself reminisce about the past.

When he turned back to pick up his grandson, Ace and the cart were gone.

He spent days searching the town for Portgas D. Ace. The task was near-impossible since he did not want to admit he had  _lost_   _a baby_.

He never found him, and was eventually forced to return to Marine base or risk being questioned why he was in Remnant or why he had adopted a grandchild.

Unknown to Garp, his missing adopted grandchild was deep in the woods, in a secluded cottage near a forest filled with Grimm.

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long just wanted to get home.

It took everything he had to put one foot in front of the other as he stumbled through the figurative quicksand that wanted to drown him. He focused on the path ahead, acknowledging the calls of the townsfolk with vague murmurs, but forged ahead. He could not bear to speak to anyone and hear their condolences.

Summer had vanished on a mission just weeks ago. When Taiyang got home, he knew Yang would be sitting on the porch, Ruby in her arms as she waited for their mother to return. Taiyang knew it was only a matter of time before his five year-old realized Summer was not coming back. His insides curdled as he imagined her tears. And Ruby...

Ruby did not understand. The three-year old had no concept of death yet. She did not understand how final it was. When Taiyang had tried to explain to her what death was, she stared at him with wide, innocent silver eyes and asked when Mommy was coming home.

Taiyang nearly choked on his breath at the thought. His eyes stung with unshod tears and a sob escaped his tight throat.

It was a rather high-pitched sob.

It was too high-pitched to come from him.

In fact, it did not sound like an adult's cry.

It sounded like a child.

And it seemed to come from behind him.

Taiyang halted in place and looked around at the desolate path that led to his isolated home, far from the bustling town by the port.

Again, he heard a tiny cry.

He looked at the cart and carefully lifted the blanket that covered his goods.

On top of the supplies he had gathered from the town was a small blue bundle.

It wriggled and gave another soft cry.

Taiyang's heart sank into his shoes and he lifted the blue bundle, pulling the blanket aside to reveal a tiny, round face. The first feature he noticed where the large, tear-filled eyes that looked at him. Taiyang sucked in a breath.

The baby's eyes were silver.

Like Ruby's.

Like  _Summer's_.

His heart ached with loss.

Taiyang stared at the baby.

The baby stared at Taiyang.

Then it (he?) sniffled.

Instinct took over and Taiyang rocked the baby in his arms. The little thing whimpered and hiccuped, cheeks red and shivering from the cold. Taiyang put the baby down, heart shattering at his whimper, and removed his jacket, putting it around the blanket. The baby calmed when he picked it up and stared at Taiyang like he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his short life. And his life was short. By Taiyang's guess, the baby was no more than a month old.

Who would put a  _month-old_   _baby_  in a  _cart_?

Unless...

_They abandoned him._

Qrow always joked Taiyang was a bleeding heart. He literally had a tattoo of a heart on his arm, "On his sleeve," as Qrow would sigh. While Qrow never wanted kids (because he believed his Semblance would hurt them at best, and feared it may be genetic like the Schnees' at worst.) and Raven was... out of her "family's" lives, Taiyang was more than happy to be a parent.

He loved children, and had wanted them as much as he wanted to be a Huntsman. The thought of seeing his little ones grow up filled him with joy that warmed his heart even now. It was why he chose to become a teacher at Signal after Yang was born.

He knew some parents did not feel the same. They saw unexpected children as an obstacle between them and their goals, and sought to leave that obstacle behind them. Like Raven, who left the moment that Yang was born. Taiyang had stopped making excuses for her long ago, which was not long after he held his firstborn daughter and walked inside Raven's hospital room to find nothing there except an empty bed. No Raven, and not even a note of explanation.

A note was attached to the baby's blue blanket. Taiyang unfolded the paper to see a single word scrawled on it in messy handwriting.

**Ace.**

The parent's note didn't even bother to say "Take care of my child." Only his name. And only his first name, at that. Taiyang resisted the instinct to throw the note into the snow and discard it like the writer had casually discarded their child. The only thing that stopped him was that Ace may want to see it someday.

Taiyang breathed until his anger had passed and looked at the baby. "Your name is Ace, huh? Hello then, little Ace."

The baby was too young to understand him but seemed to like the sound of his voice. Ace cooed and wiggled in his arms and Taiyang almost smiled. It faded like ashes in the wind. He should bring the baby back to town, but if he did, little good would come from it. Patch was a bustling place, but few would want to adopt a child.

Ace would be shipped off to Vale and put into the foster system. The Vale foster system was notoriously awful. Vale had almost as many street rats as Vacuo and Mistral did. Unless he was extremely lucky, Ace would find himself on the streets and dragged into whatever criminal gang got to him first. It was a problem no one in power wanted to acknowledge or take care of, not even Ozpin. Taiyang knew Ozpin had other priorities (like Beacon Academy) but he did not deny he was a bit bitter about it.

Taiyang could not let that happen. He could put Ace into the system and try to adopt him, but the process could take years. By then, the kid would likely vanish into the system that ruined so many young lives.

Taiyang took in Ace's black hair and silver eyes (like Summer's) and shut his own sorrowful blue. Summer went on a mission a few weeks ago. She was stubborn, and never stayed out of the action for long. She also wore a cloak that often hid her slim figure unless she was fighting.

Only those closest to her (Taiyang, Qrow, probably Ozpin) would know she had never been pregnant since Ruby. If Taiyang said she had given birth before going on that mission, many would believe him.

Qrow was such a bad influence on him.

Taiyang took Ace home. He carried and rocked the baby as he dragged the cart behind him, and hummed a little lullaby as he went. He would have to return to town later to get baby supplies, but Ruby's old crib was still in the attic, along with a few of her old onesies. Would Ace like the pirate one Qrow had gotten as a joke? Ruby had loved that one. It was her second-favorite, after the one covered in wolves (another gift from Qrow. Taiyang's teammate had the oddest taste when it came to baby clothes).

When Taiyang approached his cottage home, Yang was not on the porch with Ruby. Taiyang guessed the sharp winter wind had forced his daughters inside for the day.

Taiyang balanced Ace on his hip and unlocked the front door. A red blur slammed into his legs and was followed by a golden one. His daughters clung to his legs and looked up at him. Ruby was smiling. Her silver eyes were bright and innocent. Yang was not smiling, but her violet eyes shimmered with relief.

Taiyang reached down and ruffled his daughters' hair. "I'm home."

"Daddy!" Ruby squealed. She grabbed his pant leg in her small fingers and jumped in place. "What you get me?"

Seeing his younger daughter's excitement, Taiyang's hollow heart felt a little warmer. He chuckled. "Is that how you say hello to Daddy?"

Ruby's nose wrinkled and she considered his words carefully. She came to a conclusion and hugged his leg, balanced on his foot. "Love you, Daddy."

It was not a greeting but Taiyang did not care. The emptiness inside him retreated more. "I love you, too. Both of you."

He ruffled Yang's hair and she scowled, irritably pushing his hand away. She put her own protectively over her head.

"Don't mess up my hair." she wailed.

"Sorry." Taiyang said and he struggled to hide his amusement. "So do you want to see what I brought?"

The girls released him and backed up, eyes alight with eagerness. Taiyang pulled the cart inside and locked the door. He went to the couch and settled on it before he looked down at the bundle in his arms.

"Come meet your little brother, Ace."

The girls clambered up onto the couch with Ruby on his right and Yang on his left. They stared at the bundle curiously and Taiyang moved the blanket aside, revealing the baby's tiny face. Ace had fallen asleep and was breathing lightly. His dark eyelashes fluttered and he snuffled softly.

Yang gaped. Her violet eyes grew huge. "You got a baby at the store? I didn't know you could get babies there."

"Little brother!" Ruby clapped, bouncing around. "Little brother!"

"Shh." Taiyang shushed her softly. "Ace is sleeping right now. He's very tired."

Ruby clapped her hands over her mouth, horrified by her mistake. Taiyang chuckled and looked at Yang.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Yang's chest puffed out and she held out her arms in a silent demand. Taiyang gently passed Ace to her and adjusted her arms so she held him correctly. Ace whined at the transition but settled once more. A tiny fist peeked out of the blanket and Ruby squealed.

"He's so  _little_."

She poked Ace's tiny fist. His fingers flexed and wrapped around Ruby's forefinger. Taiyang knew it was unintentional but Ruby did not see it that way. He wished he had a camera so he could show Qrow how the girls melted in little Ace's presence. Taiyang predicted the baby was going to have his big sisters wrapped around his tiny fingers.

Ace's tiny pink mouth opened in a yawn and his eyes slid open. Silver irises observed Yang and Ruby sleepily and opened wider. Ace studied his sisters curiously and found their presences acceptable. He gurgled and waved his tiny fist. Ruby and Yang cooed and Taiyang was hard-pressed not to join them. It was a fact of nature that babies were cute, but Ace's little freckles, wavy black hair, and wide silver eyes made him absolutely adorable.

Taiyang would have to record his first meeting with Qrow. Just in case he needed to blackmail his teammate.

Yang stopped her scrutiny of Ace and looked at Taiyang. "He has Mommy's eyes."

Taiyang's throat constricted. His eyes burned. "Yes, he does."

Yang played with Ace's black locks. "He has Mommy's hair too."

_Don't cry in front of the kids_ , Taiyang ordered himself. "Yes."

Yang frowned. "He's bigger than Mrs. Margaret's baby when he was born."

"Ace is a month old." Taiyang said. He did some mental gymnastics. "He was born January first. I couldn't bring him home until now."

It hurt to have to lie to his children but they would not understand the delicacies of the situation until they were older. Taiyang looked at Ace's silver eyes, then Ruby's, and his grief welled up. It felt like a lance in his chest. Ozpin was a secretive man, but Summer told her husband almost everything. About Silver Eyes, and how they made her a target. It was more than a guess to say why and how Summer was killed on her last mission. Now he had two children with her eyes.

Taiyang picked up Ruby and Yang, and picked up Ace along with his older daughter. He set them in his lap and held them close. "Ace is your little brother. You are his big sisters. So you have to watch out for him, okay?"

Yang nodded solemnly. "Like I watch out for Ruby."

Although the five year-old was serious, she was serious in the mind of a five year-old. Neither Yang nor Ruby fully understood the seriousness (the fear) in Taiyang's voice. Ruby was unaffected (unaware of the pains of the world, and by the Gods Taiyang hoped she would not lose that spark). She looked from Yang, to Taiyang, to Ace, and the biggest smile crossed her face.

"I'm a big sister now?"

"Yes." Yang answered before Taiyang could. "Just like me, little sister."

Instead of pouting like she normally would, three year-old Ruby beamed and petted Ace's soft hair. "I'm going to be the bestest big sister ever!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I would write a fanfic... I made the account but it was just to Bookmark and Follow of my favorite stories... Now, here I am... Hello, friends?
> 
> I wrote this because could you imagine...
> 
> Ace having a normal(ish), loving family as he grew up.
> 
> Ruby being a big sister.
> 
> Ace having big sisters.
> 
> Ruby and Yang having a little brother.
> 
> Ace learning hand-to-hand combat from Tai and Yang.
> 
> Ace discovering his Semblance. (Maybe something fire-related or maybe something else.)
> 
> Ace having Silver Eyes (because most writers give him silver eyes and why not?)
> 
> Ace being about twelve or thirteen when the Beacon stuff happens.
> 
> ~~Ace activating Silver Eyes when he sees Adam chop off his biggest sister's arm.~~
> 
> Ruby being a big sister.
> 
> Taiyang having a baby to take care of so he never shatters and leaves Yang to raise Ruby for a few years.
> 
> Ace growing up not burdened by Roger's legacy.
> 
> Ace growing up not thinking he shouldn't exist.
> 
> Ace deserves happiness, darn it.
> 
> **Ruby being a big sister.**
> 
> I do not think I am going to continue this but I may be convinced if it gets enough love. I have some ideas, like how Remnant natives cannot use Haki and most outsiders (non-Remnant natives) cannot activate Aura. The D's are the only exception. Ace gets his Aura activated, which is why Taiyang never thinks he is from outside of Remnant. On the other side, Remnant natives cannot get Devil Fruit powers. If they eat a Devil Fruit, they'll immediately vomit it up and get no powers and no weakness to sea water. Aura and Devil Fruits do not mix. The fruit will reform someplace else for someone else to pick up...
> 
> I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review and kudos.


	2. Settling In

Ace settled into their little family like he was always meant to be there. The addition of the new arrival in their small family went rather smoothly. It went much more smoothly than it had been for Yang (when Taiyang was unexpectedly a single father after Raven left) or Ruby (who had been so small that the doctors feared she may not make it). Taiyang was already taking time off from his work as a teacher because of Summer (his heart  _ached_ ) so he did not need to worry about that.

Ruby and Yang had accepted Ace into their lives with the dauntless enthusiasm of children. They took turns holding Ace and playing with him, rushed to grab toys and bottles and whatever the baby needed, and would happily keep an eye on their new little brother while Taiyang cooked or did chores. However, Taiyang knew it would only be a matter of time before the sisters acted as siblings did and got into an argument over or because of their brother. That time had yet to come and Taiyang cherished it while he could.

However, the settling of the new arrival was not fully peaceful either.

One thing that Taiyang forgot from his times raising infants was that babies cried.

A lot.

Particularly while he was trying to sleep.

Ruby slept through Ace's nighttime wails but Taiyang would often find Yang with her head stuffed under her pillow, covering her ears. Taiyang was already preparing himself for the literal explosion that was going to happen when Yang's lack of sleep got to her and she finally lost her temper.

His own appearance (already unkempt because of Summer) had become more bedraggled. His eyes resembled a raccoon's and his skin had gained an ashen tinge. Perhaps that was why Yang and Ruby were being so well-behaved. Even his children could tell he needed a break.

The problem was, he was not sure how to get a break. Qrow was out on a mission, and Taiyang had few available acquaintances outside of his fellow faculty at Signal, all of whom were working. With no one else to turn to, Taiyang went to the only person he could think of.

Mrs. Margaret was their neighbor in a loose sense of the term. She lived closest to their little cottage in the woods, but was still a mile away. She was a woman on the latter edge of middle-aged, which was why it was so surprising she had another child just a couple years ago. Yang had only been three when the boy was born, but it was an event she would never forget since Mrs. Margaret had been visiting when her water broke.

A fierce winter storm had prevented them from reaching the hospital so Taiyang and Summer had buckled down to deliver the baby themselves. Neither had any clue what to do (their only experiences with childbirth did not tell them how to help another expecting mother) but everything had turned out all right in the end. Even if Qrow had relentlessly teased Summer for fainting (since she was a mother, and shouldn't she be tougher about childbirth?) Summer had smacked Qrow upside the head for that comment.

Taiyang had just finished feeding Ace baby formula (Boy did the baby eat a lot. Had he forgotten infants ate this much?) when the doorbell rang. He wiped Ace's face and lifted him from his high chair, shouting at Yang not to answer the door. His eldest daughter stomped to a corner and sulked but Taiyang could not help but be paranoid ( _after Summer..._ )

He checked through the peephole and opened the door. Mrs. Margaret bustled in, armed with a bag Taiyang knew was filled to the brim with baby essentials. He had gotten most of his baby supplies from the store and storage but Margaret would never be content unless she bought ten thousand new things for the newest addition to his family. When Taiyang said he had leftover supplies from Yang and Ruby's infancy, he meant it. Most of the stuff came from Margaret.

Margaret spotted Ace in Taiyang's arms and swooped in. "Oh, look at you! You look just like your mommy." she gasped. She tickled Ace's pudgy cheek and cooed, oblivious to how Taiyang stiffened. "He has Summer's coloring."

Taiyang shifted uncomfortably. "Yes. I just need you to watch him a couple hours."

Margaret's brown eyes softened. "You should have called me sooner, dear. You go and rest. I'll watch the children."

Taiyang did not protest. He dragged himself to bed and was out the moment his head hit the pillow.

When Taiyang woke up a couple hours later, Margaret was helping Ruby read a story to Ace, while Yang played with toys on the floor. Yang crashed two toy airships into each other while making explosion sounds as Ruby frowned at the page. The book she held was almost as big as she was.

""Then the... the... b...  _blue_ bear...""

"Brown, dear." Margaret corrected patiently.

""The brown bear."" Ruby repeated. ""Then the brown bear caught the fish and brought it to the green dragon."" She looked up at Margaret. "Are the brown bear and the green dragon friends now?"

"Why don't you keep reading and find out?" Margaret encouraged.

Ruby kicked her feet and flipped the page. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth and she brightened. "They're friends now."

"You're supposed to read the story." Yang said with the loftiness of a wise five year-old who believed she knew best.

Ruby's face went red and her cheeks puffed out. Taiyang saw the warning signs of an incoming tantrum and hurried towards his red-faced daughter.

"I think Ruby did a great job." Margaret encouraged before Ruby could throw a tantrum. She looked down at Ace and bounced him on her knee. "What do you think, Ace?"

Ace babbled in delight. He waved his tiny fists in the air.

Ruby perked up, her anger forgotten. "Ace thinks I did good so I did  _so there_." she informed Yang.

Yang rolled her eyes and continued bashing the toy airships into each other. Taiyang knew his elder daughter well enough to tell she was sulking about something. She probably wanted to be the one to read to Ace.

Margaret noticed Taiyang and smiled at him. She whispered to Ruby who obediently got off her lap and sat on the floor. She poked Yang in the arm and Yang gave her one of her airships. The two girls got to playing while Margaret walked up to Taiyang and handed him Ace.

"Did you have a good rest, dear?"

"The most peaceful I had in weeks." Taiyang confessed.

Margaret chuckled. "Don't worry, the crying stage doesn't last forever. You'll survive."

Taiyang grumbled in disagreement and she chuckled again. He followed her to the door, leaving Ruby and Yang to play. "Thank you for coming over. I'll pay the lien once I..."

Margaret waved and cut him off. "You don't have to pay me, dear. I'm happy to help out. Especially after..."

She trailed off, gaze drifting towards a picture hanging on the wall. Taiyang did not need to look to know it was a family photo with himself, Yang, Ruby, and Summer. All smiling. All happy. Taken just days before Summer went on a mission and never returned.

"Thank you." he repeated, stiffer than before.

Margaret shot him a compassionate look. "Allow me to give you a word of wisdom, Taiyang. One parent to another. What happened to Summer... I can't imagine it." Her eyes slipped closed, slightly pained, but opened in a snap. "But  _don't_  let your fear smother your children, understand?"

Taiyang thought of his illogical fear when Yang went to answer the door. His throat felt clogged. "I understand."

Margaret patted his cheek. "Call me whenever you need me."

She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and shut the door quietly behind her.

Taiyang hesitated a moment.

Then he locked it.

* * *

A clatter woke Taiyang from sleep. He reached under his pillow and grasped his weapon, sitting up. He glanced at Ace, but the baby was still asleep in his crib. Another clatter sent Taiyang bolt upright and he got out of bed.

Someone else was downstairs.

Taiyang's sock-clad feet made no noise as he exited his bedroom and passed Ruby and Yang's shared room. A peek inside showed both girls were still there. Taiyang kept the door open and continued down the hall. He checked his gun just in case and was satisfied with the Gravity Dust bullets loaded into the chamber. That should pin any intruders to the ceiling even if they did not have an active Aura.

He avoided the floorboard that always squeaked and looked down the stairs. A light was on in the kitchen. If it was a burglar, they were a rather stupid one. Not only had they come to the house of one of the few Huntsmen on Patch, but they were as subtle as a rampaging bull.

Taiyang descended down the stairs and stepped towards the kitchen, raising his gun.

He immediately lowered it. "I could have shot you."

Qrow Branwen (former member of the shattered Team STRQ but a man Taiyang could definitely call a brother and friend) lifted his head from the kitchen tabletop long enough to grunt. Then he laid his head back down with a groan.

Taiyang sighed and put his weapon at his belt. He crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Are you  _drunk_?"

A flask was "discreetly" slipped into Qrow's pocket. "Maybe." he muttered.

Taiyang smelled alcohol on his breath but kept his annoyance in check. "How was your mission?"

"Fine."

"...You didn't say goodbye to Ruby and Yang when you left. They were worried about you." Taiyang said tersely.

Qrow flinched.

A cry came from upstairs. Taiyang hurried back to his room and scooped Ace out of his crib, rocking him as he brought the baby back downstairs. Ace whimpered a little but soon calmed in Taiyang's arms. Thank the Gods he did not scream and wake Yang.

Qrow gaped at the infant. "What the f-?"

" _Qrow_." Taiyang growled.

Qrow raised his hand to point at Ace. "What-? Where-? Where did  _he_  come from?"

Taiyang rocked Ace in his arms and rolled his eyes. "Well, Qrow. When a man and a woman love each other  _very much_..."

"Shut  _up_." Qrow groaned.

He rubbed his forehead. Was he hungover? In the middle of the night? Taiyang was not in the mood to ask. Qrow woke Ace with his clattering. He could sit there with a headache.

"This is Ace Xiao Long." he introduced instead.

Qrow stared at the baby. Then he stared at Tai. He looked back at the baby. His black eyebrows crept upward. "Where did you get him? I  _know_  Summer wasn't pregnant. And I also know you didn't cheat on her."

Taiyang shot Qrow a scathing glare. "Ace is mine and Summer's child."

Qrow raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I get the message." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "But seriously, where did you get him?"

Taiyang kicked him in the shin. He sat down and covered Ace's ears as Qrow swore and hopped around on one foot.

"Your uncle is a big baby." Taiyang informed the real baby.

Like young babies tended to do, Ace stuck out his tongue and burbled. Taiyang pretended it was a burble of agreement.

He almost smiled. It faded quickly. "Someone put him in my cart while I was in town. They left a note with his name and that's it."

Qrow reached out and gently caressed Ace's soft black hair. The baby giggled and waved his fists, smacking Qrow's hand. Qrow yelped and sucked on his finger.

"Ouch! Strong little guy, aren't you?"

Taiyang rolled his eyes and nuzzled Ace. "Whose Uncle is a big baby? Your uncle is! Oh yes he is."

Qrow scowled and shook his hand. "I'm serious! That  _hurt_. This is going to bruise."

"Uh huh.  _Sure_  it hurt. It's not like you have  _Aura_." Taiyang said unsympathetically.

Qrow grumbled and carefully petted Ace's head again. The baby yawned and snuggled against Tai. "So why are you keeping him?"

Taiyang's amusement faded. "We both know he'd be lost in the system. Especially since..." His fingers brushed a bit of black hair away from Ace's left eye. His silver eyes. His  _Silver_   _Eyes_. Just like Ruby's and Summer's. Taiyang's fingers trembled. "There is a  _reason_  there are no surviving records of Silver Eyed Warriors, Qrow."

Qrow grimaced. He was deeper in Ozpin's conspiracy than Taiyang. He had privy to more information. However, what Qrow knew, Summer would have known, and she knew little about her own powers.

Taiyang tried not to think about how those powers may have cost him his wife. Instead he held out Ace. "Do you want to hold him?"

Qrow took one look at Ace and backed away with a speed that suggested Taiyang was trying to hand him a ticking bomb. "Nope."

Taiyang sighed but held Ace securely against his chest once more. "Still scared of babies?"

"They should be scared of me." Qrow muttered.

Taiyang's lips thinned. Now was not the time to snap at Qrow about letting his Semblance affect his life. They had that argument before (and again right after Summer was confirmed missing) and Taiyang knew no matter what was said, Qrow would continue to isolate himself out of the fear of harming his loved ones with his presence.

Instead of lecturing Qrow, Taiyang held out Ace. Qrow inched away, and Taiyang followed him, holding out the baby with a blank expression on his face. Ace greatly enjoyed the silent game of tag and giggled, wiggling his arms and feet. Qrow avoided the baby like his life depended on it.

Taiyang had him cornered when he shapeshifted into a bird and landed on top of the fridge. Ace squealed in delight and reached for the crow and Taiyang obligingly lifted the baby up. Qrow fled to the ceiling fan and landed on it. he glared at Taiyang with beady red eyes.

Taiyang lowered Ace. "You were fine with holding Yang and Ruby."

The crow flew down from the ceiling fan and a black-haired man stood in its place. "That was different."

"How?" Taiyang demanded.

Qrow glowered at him with hazy, bloodshot eyes. He looked away. "It was  _different_." he mumbled. "Summer..."

The lances of icy pain stabbed Taiyang's chest and his arms trembled. Ace felt the movement and gurgled in his arms. Taiyang focused on the baby in his arms. The baby that needed him  _not_  to shut down, just like his daughters needed him. His job done, Ace mumbled and went back to sleep.

Qrow stepped a little bit closer and peered at the baby. He remained out of arm's length. "I can already tell he's going to be another hellion. Who's going to turn you gray first; him, Ruby, or Yang?"

"Unless his Semblance lets him cause explosions when he gets mad, probably Yang." Taiyang said tiredly. He rocked Ace by instinct and kept his eyes on the sleeping baby. "Yang has to get her hair cut in a couple weeks. Do you want to stay and help me stop her from destroying my house?"

Some of the weathered lines on Qrow's face faded and he chuckled. "Maybe. What are uncles for?"

He sat down and his chair scraped on the tile. Ace grumbled and his eyes opened briefly. Both adults held their breath but Ace settled and went back to sleep.

"What a disgrace. Two professional Huntsmen, scared of waking a baby." Qrow laughed again. It sounded much less humorous. He took a long swig from his flask and grimaced. "Fine. Just don't expect me to stick around."

* * *

Three year-old Ruby Rose was on the most important mission of her young life. Ace was laying in his rocking seat (Daddy said it used to be hers but she was too big for it now. She was a  _big_   _sister_.) and Ruby sat next to him and carefully helped him bounce. Daddy said to be careful and stop if Ace started crying, but Ace was laughing so Ruby must be doing a good job watching her brother. (She was a  _big sister!_ ) Daddy said it was only for a few minutes. Ruby was three years old, but she was smarter than that.

Daddy and Uncle Qrow were trying to cut Yang's hair. That would take more than a few minutes. It might take... take... a bazillion minutes. A bazillion was a big number, right?

Ruby looked at her fingers and mouthed numbers to herself.  _One, two, three, four, five, seven, ten, six, nine, ten..._

"NOOOOO!"

Ruby was distracted from her very good counting by Yang's howl. Her sister thrashed in the kitchen chair, eyes squeezed shut and face red with exertion as she wailed. Daddy and Uncle Qrow had the "Tired Adult" looks on their faces as Daddy prevented Yang from sliding out of the chair and onto the floor.

"Yang, you need a hair cut. Just a little tiny bit shorter. If we don't cut off the split ends the rest of your hair will be ruined. Do you want that?"

Yang slouched in the chair and pouted. "Don't need a haircut."

Daddy sighed. "Yang..."

"DON'T NEED A HAIRCUT!" Yang screamed.

Ace flinched at the noise and whimpered, eyes shimmering. Ruby pulled her ears and stuck out her tongue and his tears faded. He giggled and clapped her hand. Beaming, Ruby did a little dance. She made her little brother happy. She was doing it!

Behind her, the scissors snipped off a lock of blonde hair and Yang exploded with golden fire and a scream.

Ace seemed to enjoy the explosions.

* * *

Since Ruby was a good girl and watched Ace like she was supposed to, she got ice cream. She wanted to share some with Ace but Daddy said no. If Ace had ice cream, he would get sick. Ruby could not get her little brother sick. That would make her a  _terrible_  big sister.

Since Yang was a bad girl and made Uncle Qrow and Daddy keep her still so they could cut her hair and she tried to bite Uncle Qrow and she kicked Daddy she did not get ice cream. Ruby smugly licked her yummy chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream while Yang glowered at her with red eyes. Her hair (now half an inch shorter) still flickered with flame-like Aura.

Ruby finished her ice cream cone and licked her sticky fingers. It was winter so she could not eat her cone outside so they were eating in the ice cream shop in town. The ice cream shop man had chuckled when Daddy explained why Yang was not getting ice cream. He promised to give Yang a really big ice cream cone if she was good next time she got a haircut.

When Yang stormed off, Daddy whispered something to the ice cream shop man. Something about thanking him for not "ena-bling" Yang by still giving her a cone. Daddy got Yang a small juice though. He said it would be mean to leave her with nothing while the rest of them ate.

Ace did not have anything except formula (which was icky. Ruby tried some and could not understand why babies would eat it. Chocolate chip cookies were much yummier). That was when Ruby tried to feed him some ice cream but Daddy said no. Ruby could not wait until Ace was old enough to have ice cream. She could show him how yummy it was, and how chocolate chip cookie dough was the best flavor and not icky strawberry like Yang liked.

Daddy got mint, which Ruby supposed was okay since it had chocolate chips in it. Uncle Qrow got vanilla. He was a super cool Huntsman so why did he get a  _boring_  flavor?

Ruby considered her sticky fingers and looked at Uncle Qrow. She raised her hands and showed them to him. "Help, please."

Uncle Qrow chuckled. "You've made quite the mess, Ruby."

Ruby pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "Not my fault. It's messy."

"Uh-huh." Uncle Qrow said.

Daddy handed him a wipe and he washed her hands and face. The melted ice cream was gone, so Ruby happily swung her feet, humming a song. There were other people in the ice cream shop. She did not recognize many, but they seemed to know Daddy. Or did they know Ace? Everyone seemed to want to see him, hold him, or coo at him. Had they known about Ace for a long time? Is that how they knew him? How could they know about him before his big sister?

Ruby frowned as another lady came and fawned over Ace. Ace did not seem very happy to see her (he looked sleepy) so Ruby felt a bubble of pride. Ace liked seeing  _her_ , his big sister. And he liked seeing Yang when she was not being a grumpy butt.

The woman asked if she could hold Ace and Daddy politely said no because Ace was sleepy. The woman did not seem mad about it. If she did seem mad, Ruby would have to kick her butt for bugging her little brother. That was the job of big sisters, right? That's what Yang did when people bugged Ruby. She kicked their butts, like the time she had punched a mean boy in the face. Sometimes Daddy got mad, other times he just sighed.

Another lady asked if she could hold Ace and Daddy politely said no.

Uncle Qrow watched her go and shook his head. "One month old and the kid is already popular."

"It's  _because_  he's one month old that he's popular." Daddy said. "Tell me he isn't adorable."

He pointed at Ace, who watched Yang with a wide-eyed expression. Yang was not doing anything special, just shaking her head and making her hair fly around, but Ace seemed to find it fascinating. Babies were weird.

"I'm surprised you aren't handing him to everyone who has offered to hold him for a second." Uncle Qrow said dryly. "Are you still in protective parent mode?"

Daddy's paper cup crinkled in his hand. A bit of soda sprayed out of the straw and Ruby giggled. It was like a little fountain. Daddy released the cup and picked up a couple napkins to clean up the mess.

"I'd rather just let family hold him. Like his uncle?"

Uncle Qrow did not look happy. "No thanks."

Now Daddy looked sad. Was he sad Uncle Qrow did not want to hold Ace?

Ruby was not mad at Uncle Qrow for making Daddy sad. She knew why he was scared to hold Ace. It was like when she was scared to hold that chipmunk Yang found under the porch. She reached over and patted Uncle Qrow's leg.

"It's okay if you're scared, Uncle Qrow. I know you're big and Ace is really little but that's okay. I'll hold Ace and you can hold me so you don't have to be scared about hurting him."

Uncle Qrow still looked sad. His hand twitched towards his pocket and away. "That's not..."

Ruby was already running over to Daddy. "Daddy, I need to hold Ace."

Daddy knelt down and handed her Ace, moving her arms a little bit. Ace was wriggly today. Like a worm. Or a caterpillar. He even had a cocoon. Was that why he was wrapped up in blankets all the time? Would he turn into a butterfly?

Ruby put aside her musing as she stopped in front of Uncle Qrow. She frowned at the huge distance between her and the top of the chair. She could not use her arms so she nudged Uncle Qrow with her head.

"Hold Ace, please."

Uncle Qrow's lips were pressed thin but he took Ace from her. Ruby climbed up his legs and settled on his lap. She held out her arms.

"I can hold him now."

Uncle Qrow carefully set Ace in her arms again. He held her in place, and Ruby beamed happily. Her plan had worked. Ace was tiny but she was bigger so Uncle Qrow could hold her and not be scared. She leaned back and looked up at Uncle Qrow with a big smile.

"See? It's okay."

Uncle Qrow was crying. Ruby did not mean to make him sad. But Daddy was not mad at her for making Uncle Qrow cry. Uncle Qrow was hugging her too, and hugs made people happy. So it must be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I have decided to continue this after the warm reception the first chapter got. I was so excited people liked it that I churned this one out. Thank you for all the love you showed for this little idea.
> 
> This will be slice of life "one-shots" for a bit but will likely become plot-driven later on (once Ace is twelve years old and Ruby and Yang's Beacon years start). Allow me my cute-kid Ace, Ruby, and Yang time before then.
> 
> I have also decided to give Ace a type of Fire Semblance in the future. I thought about giving him a different Semblance but fire is so Ace that I could not picture him with a different power. I also know what his weapon is going to be (Spoiler for its guns form, but look up Strong World Ace. The melee form is going to be a secret until the reveal).
> 
> I would also like to mention that there will be little to no romance in this fanfiction. I am not a romantic person so I have no interest in writing romance. Also, there will be few OCs, and any OCs will have tiny, unimportant roles.
> 
> Since someone already mentioned it on my fanfiction version, I would like to ask reviewers not to do "power comparisons" between RWBY and One Piece characters and complain that someone is "nerfed". This story isn't a versus battle where one "world" needs to be better than the other. That type of thing is a pet peeve of mine, it is annoying to see, and I do not understand people's need to do it. Yuck.
> 
> Please comment and leave Kudos.


	3. Liars

Qrow stayed more than Taiyang expected him to. As the months went by and his children grew, Qrow would pop in on occasion to check in on his nieces and nephews. That was not surprising. What was surprising was he stayed more than a few hours. Sometimes he stayed as long as a week.

It had gotten to the point where the average townsfolk would inquire whether Qrow was watching the children if Taiyang went shopping without them. In fact, if people questioned if Ace was Taiyang and Summer's child, he could easily imply Ace was Qrow's.

More than half a year had passed and summer was in full swing. Soon Yang would be turning six years old. Tomorrow, in fact. It would be her first birthday without Summer. Every year without fail, no matter her mission or how impossible it seemed, Summer would always be home for her children's birthdays.

Not this year. And not ever again.

Taiyang and Qrow set up the party together. They blew up yellow balloons, wrapped presents, and made a cake without burning the house down. The party was just going to be the family this year.

Taiyang offered to invite Yang's friends but she refused. Taiyang hoped everything was okay between them. The other kids had not said anything insensitive about Summer, had they? Today was not the day to sit Yang down and ask.

Once everything was set up, Taiyang clapped his hands together. "Okay, Birthday Girl. What do you want first? Cake or presents?"

Yang's face scrunched up in thought. Her violet eyes snapped open and she pointed at the kitchen. "Cake first."

"Cake cake cake cake!" Ruby cheered.

Taiyang carried Ace over to his high chair and set him inside. He was old enough to have a little bit of cake to Ruby's delight. Ruby offered to feed him, but Taiyang flashed forward to the image of a grinning baby covered in yellow frosting.

"I'll feed Ace, Ruby." he said quickly.

Ruby pouted but brightened when Qrow brought the cake over. He set the bright yellow dessert in front of Yang and backed away. Taiyang rolled his eyes at Qrow's overzealous caution and lit the six candles. They sang happy birthday while Yang bounced impatiently as she waited for them to finish. Once the final "you" was sung, Ruby clapped her hands.

"Make a wish." she urged.

Yang shut her eyes tightly and blew out the candles. The adults and Ruby cheered while Ace babbled. He finally noticed the birthday hat on his head and made it his mission to get it off. The string snapped and the hat fluttered to the floor. Ace was pleased with that outcome if his laugh was any indication.

"Can we do presents next?" Ruby asked. Frosting was already smeared up her cheeks and on her hands.

"I think that's up to the birthday girl." Qrow teased. He got out a napkin and attempted to clean up his niece, but only succeeded in getting frosting on her nose.

Ruby went cross-eyed and grinned. "Daddy, I'm a clown!"

"No you're not. Clowns have red noses." Yang corrected.

Ruby huffed.

"Clowns can have whatever color nose they want." Taiyang interjected.

Yang grumbled while Ruby beamed. Qrow finally got the frosting off of her face. She took another bite and his work was undone in a heartbeat. Qrow looked from Ruby to the napkin and sighed.

"Why did I bother?"

"You should have waited until she was finished." Taiyang said as he fed Ace a bit of cake. The baby enjoyed it and opened his mouth in the hope for more. Taiyang obliged and Ace squealed.

Yang finished her cake with minimal mess and hopped out of her seat. "I wanna do presents now." She rushed out of the room into the living room where a small stack of presents was waiting.

"Wait for everyone to be finished, please." Taiyang chided.

Yang wandered back in with a dramatic sigh. "But they're waiting for me. I saw one from Ruby and one from Daddy and one from Uncle Qrow and one from Mrs. Margaret..." Yang stood on her tiptoes to try to reach Ace. "Where's my present from you, Ace?"

Ace patted her on the nose and babbled.

Taiyang chuckled. "I think that's your present from him, sweetie."

Yang frowned. "I meant a  _real_  present."

"That was a real present." Qrow said as he set a piece of cake in front of his spot at the table. "He bopped you on the nose and didn't fling food at you."

Ace's fists flailed and he flung a bit of cake. It his Qrow in the face and stuck to his eyebrows. Ruby and Yang laughed. Qrow sighed and wiped yellow frosting off of his forehead. It left a smear of yellow on his skin.

"I give up." Qrow sighed.

Everyone finished their cake in relative peace. As the children went to the living room, the adults remained behind to clean up a bit of the mess. Taiyang threw out the paper plates and wiped a bit of yellow frosting off the table. He hoped the food coloring would not stain. He thought he heard a noise by the front door and paused.

Qrow caught Taiyang looking at the door. "You aren't expecting anyone else, are you?"

Taiyang shook his head. "Maybe. The mayor came to talk to me about the abandoned building in the woods yesterday. The town wants it to be knocked down but a pack of Beowolves have settled nearby."

Qrow dragged a hand through his hair. "I can see why. It's just going to rot there and hide Grimm inside it."

Taiyang hummed and looked at the door again.

Qrow looked there as well and his face darkened. " _Please_  tell me you're not expecting Raven."

Taiyang winced. "I'm not."

Qrow scowled. "Tai, Yang is six. It's been six years since Raven left. Raven made her choice. She doesn't want to be a mother. She doesn't want her daughter in her life."

Taiyang looked at Qrow and slumped in his seat. "I know. I just thought, with Summer gone that maybe..."

Qrow gave a derisive scoff. "Well stop hoping. Raven won't come back, not even for this. My sister always was a-"

"Summer isn't my mom?"

Qrow and Taiyang froze. The color drained from their faces. Yang stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Huge violet eyes went between Taiyang and Qrow and filled with tears.

"My real mom is "Raven"? My real mom didn't want me?"

"N..."

_"No. That's not true. She loves you."_  Taiyang wanted to say. He could not make himself say the lie. It stayed in his throat and choked him and by the time he swallowed the lump, Yang had already fled up the stairs.

Her presents were left unopened on the living room floor.

* * *

Yang entered her and Ruby's bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her. Dad did not like it when they closed their doors but she did not care. He could punish her, if he had the right to. Was he her real dad or was that a lie too?

She stormed over to her bed but paused to look at a picture on her bedside table. Herself, Dad, Ruby and M... (not Mom) Summer smiled at her. She picked the picture up and threw it at the wall with a scream before bursting into tears. Yang flopped face down on the bed and cried into the sheets.

She did not understand. Why did Dad and M... Summer lie about Summer being her mom? Why did her real mom not want her? Was she not good enough for her real mom to stay? Did Raven leave because of her?

There was a knock on her bedroom door. She wiped at her face and opened the door to see Ace. He stopped trying to eat his hand and squealed, waving his arms and kicking his feet. He had an orange present bow stuck on top of his head. Ruby peered around her little brother and held him out to Yang.

"I brought you a present, Yang. He wants you to hold him."

"Does not." Yang muttered.

She took Ace anyway. He noticed the bow on his head and tried to grab it but kept missing. Ace whined in frustration so Yang took the bow off and handed it to him. He squealed and chewed on his prize. He had silver eyes and black hair, just like M... Summer. Clearly he was Summer's child, unlike her. She should have realized the lack of relation sooner. She looked nothing like Summer.

Yang scowled at Ace. It was not fair. He had a mom who loved him.

Or did he? Summer had gone on a mission and never came back. Did she not want Ace so she left like Yang's real mom did? Were Dad and Uncle Qrow lying about that too? Yang scowled more and her eyes flicked to red. Ace giggled and patted her cheek. Then he grabbed her hair and chewed on it.

"EW!" Yang yelped and held Ace away from her. "Ruby, take him."

Ruby grabbed the baby from her but Ace took a couple strands of hair as he went. Yang's anger boiled but she gritted her teeth and reminded herself Dad said Ace was a baby and did not know not to touch the hair.

"You get a pass this time." Yang told Ace.

Ace laughed at her tone and waved his hand, which still had a few strands of blonde in it.

"Yang? Do you want to go open presents now?" Ruby asked. "I got you something really fun."

Ruby looked really hopeful but Yang was not in the mood to see the liars. "No thanks. How about we play in here instead?"

"Okay!" Ruby agreed.

She sat down and let go of Ace. He crawled back to Yang and held his arms up. Yang grumbled but picked him up. She watched Ruby grab some toys from her toy chest and hurry back but was not in the mood to play at the moment. She held Ace and watched Ruby play instead as she thought over what she had learned.

One: Summer was not her mom.

Two: "Raven" was.

Three: Dad and Uncle Qrow were liars.

Four: Something about a building?

Dad and Uncle Qrow had talked about that building, then her real mom. Did that mean the two were connected? Was her real mom at that house? Yang knew if she asked, she would not get answers since Dad and Uncle Qrow were liars.

Yang would have to find her real mom herself.

* * *

It was late in the evening when someone pounded on the front door. Yang was still awake when it happened but Ruby was half-asleep. She did not hear what the grown ups said, but a minute later Dad rushed in with Ace in his basket and his Huntsmen clothes on. He set the basket down.

"Yang, there's a Grimm attack near the town. I need you to watch Ruby and Ace. Keep the door locked and do  _not_ go outside, do you understand me?"

Dad sounded worried so Yang nodded and watched him run out. She ran to the window and saw him leave with Uncle Qrow. In the distance, smoke rose over the trees and she saw flickers of light. Was something on fire?

Yang looked in the direction of the fire and then in the direction of the old building the liars were talking about. They were in opposite directions, and the building was only a short walk away. She could make it there and back before the liars got back. But Dad would be mad if she left Ruby and Ace alone.

Yang walked to her sister's bed and shook her shoulder. Ruby whined but opened her eyes a peek.

"Get up." Yang ordered. "We have to go someplace."

Ruby sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "But Yang." she mumbled. "I'm sleepy."

"You can sleep in the wagon."

Ruby still looked uncertain. She glanced at Ace. "We can't leave Ace."

"We're not." Yang said impatiently. "Ace is coming with us."

Ruby yawned. "Okay."

Since it was so late, it was a bit chilly. Yang put on her and Ace's coats and Ruby put on her little red cloak. It was just like  _her_  mom's. Yang scowled as she grabbed the wagon from the shed out back.

_I'll find my mom soon._

Yang started down the path that led to the old house. It was getting dark and she wished she had a flashlight but if she went back she might not make it to the house before Dad came back home. Yang kept walking and noticed Ruby and Ace were being quiet. She checked on them and saw Ruby was asleep. Ace was wide awake and he giggled at her.

Yang hushed him and looked around. The forest was getting really dark. A wind rattled the tree branches and the wagon wheels squeaked on each turn. Yang shivered. Her throat felt tight. Yang was not scared (she was never ever scared) but she was a little nervous. Just a little. What if her real mom was at the house? What would Yang say? What would her real mom say? Would she say why she left Yang?

Maybe... maybe she was on a secret mission! She was on a secret mission she could not tell anyone about, not even Uncle Qrow and Dad. She was on a secret mission but she really wanted to be there for Yang's birthday so she stayed at this house and watched the party from far away. Maybe that was why she left.

Or maybe...

_She didn't want me._

Yang halted in place and sniffled. Behind her, Ace's stomach growled. Hadn't he just eaten? How could he be hungry already? Yang turned to him and saw something shift in the woods.

She gasped and stepped towards it. "Mom?"

A hulking figure rose from behind the bushes, and Yang saw red eyes before she could see sharp teeth. Terror paralyzed her and she froze in place as a Beowolf prowled out of the forest and onto the path. The Grimm eyed her as if it were waiting for her to react or scream, but Yang could not utter a sound. Red eyes locked onto the wagon. Its jaws opened, and saliva dripped from its teeth.

Yang stepped between the Grimm and the wagon and raised shaking fists. She had Aura but she was not very strong yet. She had never fought a real Grimm before. Dad said that they were attracted to fear and Yang tried not to be scared but she could not make herself brave because Ruby was sleeping obliviously and Ace was right behind her.

Ace was not crying, but he seemed to notice something was wrong. He whimpered and reached for Yang but Yang could not comfort him, or herself. Yang could not make herself move. The Beowolf loomed over them as more hulking figures prowled onto the path and Yang turned in a panic and grabbed the wagon's handle. She felt something move behind her and breath tickle the back of her neck and her sweaty hands slipped from the wagon. They fell limply to her sides as her heartbeat pounded and her head roared.

_I don't want to die like Mom._

Tears of fear ran down her cheeks. Ace watched his sister freeze. He watched the Beowolf rise up behind her. His silver eyes filled with tears and he screamed. Yang's knees buckled and she collapsed next to the wagon as  **something**  slammed into her. It knocked the air out of her lungs and left her gasping for air. However, she did not take the brunt of the attack. The Grimm did. Some of the smaller Grimm went flying, while the sturdier ones crumpled where they stood.

Yang only had a moment to wonder what had happened before the sound of clanking metal reached her ears. Dad and Uncle Qrow descended upon the Grimm and tore through them with ease. Heads went flying, limbs were severed, and many of the vile creatures were bisected or torn to shreds. With every successful kill, Yang felt a little worse as she watched them do what she could not.

The battle only lasted about half of a minute. Beowolves were little threat to professional Huntsmen. As the final body disintegrated into ashes, Dad turned to Yang. Yang looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry."

Dad's weapon fell to the ground with a clatter and he wrapped Yang into a warm hug. "What were you  _thinking_?"

"I wanted to find my real mom." Yang whispered in a small voice.

Dad flinched and his hug got tighter. "Raven isn't here, Yang. I don't know where she is."

Yang's eyes watered and she cried again. Dad picked her up while Uncle Qrow grabbed the wagon and Ace and Ruby. Ruby was still sleeping, but Ace was awake. He wriggled and lifted his arms towards Yang. Dad stopped and picked him up too and Ace grabbed Yang's hair again. No amount of shaking could make him let go but Yang did not really mind.

"You're in trouble, Yang." Dad said quietly as they walked home. "I can't believe you brought Ruby and Ace out like this. If we didn't arrive when we did..."

"I thought I was gonna die like Mom." Yang whispered and Dad's breath hitched. The tears kept coming. "I was scared and I forgot everything you taught me and I couldn't do anything." Her voice became a wail even as Dad shushed her. "I'm a bad big sister! I couldn't protect Ruby and I had to be saved by my baby brother."

Dad stumbled. He did not come close to dropping the two children he carried but he walked a little faster. "Yang, explain that to me."

He was using his stern voice. Yang did not like it since it meant she was probably in a lot of trouble. She played with a lock of hair that was not in Ace's grasp.

"Ace did something. The air got heavy and he knocked me over..."

Dad turned white. He grasped Yang's shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Did his eyes glow?" Dad demanded.

Yang shook her head mutely.

"Are you  _sure_?" Dad stressed.

Yang nodded.

Dad studied her in the way he did when he was trying to see if she was lying. Yang really hoped she was not in too much trouble. After a while he nodded.

"Okay. Okay."

Yang was happy he believed her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and realized Dad was shaking.

* * *

"Tai, calm down." Qrow pleaded.

Taiyang stopped pacing long enough to shoot a glare at Qrow before he continued walking back and forth across the kitchen. "After tonight you expect me to calm down?"

"The kids are okay. We made it in time."

"Only because my youngest did "something" according to my eldest. My youngest, who is a  _baby_  by the way."

"I know." Qrow dragged a hand through his hair, messing it up more than usual. "And I also know you're freaking out because he is a baby and we both know what that "something" may be."

Taiyang whirled to glare at Qrow. "Ace's Aura is inactive. There's no way it was Silver Eyes."

"Maybe it's because his Aura was inactive that it manifested like that." Qrow mentioned.

"That's not... I... I don't know." Taiyang said helplessly. "It just doesn't  _seem_  like Summer's power. And his Aura is still inactive so he didn't awaken his Semblance..."

"Do you really believe that it isn't Silver Eyes or are you just hoping?" Qrow asked. "We know next to  _nothing_ about Silver Eyes, Tai. This could be a defensive thing they're capable of in the pre-Aura stage."

Taiyang gritted his teeth. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to activate Ruby and Ace's Auras today."

Qrow gaped at him, shocked. "Tai..."

"I almost lost my  _children_ , Qrow." Taiyang snapped. The anger drained from him and he collapsed in a chair. He put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I left them alone."

"The town needed our help and neither of us thought Yang would take them on a trip. How long is she grounded for?"

"Forever." Taiyang growled.

"...Understandable." Qrow took a swig from his flask. "Are you sure you want to activate Ruby and Ace's Auras now? If Ruby unlocks her Semblance you'll have two super powered kids to deal with, and Ace won't be able to do much with it yet."

"But it'll protect him if he's hit." Taiyang growled. "For now that's enough."

Qrow hummed and knelt so he was eye level with Taiyang. "Do you want me to go get them?"

"Please." Taiyang said.

He took the moment he was alone to center himself and try to stop his hands from shaking. He did not fully succeed but it was enough that none of his children noticed he was upset. Ruby was her cheerful self and Ace immediately reached for Taiyang once he saw him, but Yang was quiet. She had taken the news of her grounding without complaint. Taiyang took Ace from Qrow and patted his leg. Ruby saw the invitation and climbed onto his lap. She clung to the chair arm for balance.

"Ruby, do you remember what Aura is?" Taiyang asked her.

"It's the shield thingy Huntsmen use to fight Grimm, Daddy." Ruby said happily.

Her enthusiasm reminded Taiyang so much of Summer. His heart ached but he focused on the present. "Yes. Do you want Daddy to unlock yours?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Ruby cheered. She clapped her hands but paused and frowned. Her head tipped curiously. "I thought we were getting our Auras before we went to Daddy's school. Yang only got hers because she got her Semblance when she got mad when the haircut lady tried to cut her hair."

"Daddy changed his mind." Taiyang said instead of trying to tell a three year-old he feared for her safety. "Now, do you remember the rules about your Aura?"

Ruby frowned and looked at her hands in the hope that they held the answers.

"Yang?" Taiyang offered.

"Don't use it to beat up other kids even if they're meanies." Yang said. "Don't boast about having Aura. Don't run into traffic or do stupid things 'cause I'm not invisible."

That last one was worded differently than how Taiyang explained it and he had the feeling it came from Qrow. "You're not i _nvincible_ , Yang" he corrected. He looked down at Ruby. "Do you understand the rules?"

Ruby nodded. Taiyang knew she did not understand the full depths of what he was doing but she was only three. He would have to explain more thoroughly as time passed. He handed Ace to Qrow and put his hand on Ruby's chest.

_"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."_

Red Aura flared over Ruby's skin. She squealed and bounced in place. "Yay! I'm glowy!"

Taiyang smiled weakly and took Ace from Qrow. Qrow did not offer to unlock Ace's Aura and let his father do it instead. An orange glow flashed over Ace's skin in a way that reminded Taiyang of roaring flames. Ace watched the light flicker and squealed, clapping his hands. Taiyang held him close and staved off the exhaustion that came with awakening two Auras after participating in battle.

"Dad?" Yang finally broke her silence. She stepped closer to Taiyang and scuffed her foot on the ground. "Can I start training tomorrow?"

Taiyang closed his eyes and bottled up his grief. "Yes."

* * *

Things went back to normal after that. Or as normal as raising three kids with activated Auras could be. Ace was not affected much except for the lack of a bruise when he crawled head-first into a chair leg, but Ruby was much more difficult. Her already boundless energy had multiplied by a thousand and she sped around like she had eaten sugar for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack. Taiyang was beginning to suspect his younger daughter would get a speed Semblance.

Qrow had taken the girls outside to play. Or "play" in the case of Yang. Yang had more interest in punching than using a scythe so Taiyang would normally teach her hand-to-hand combat, but Qrow also had some tricks up his rolled up sleeves.

It let Taiyang spend some time in relative peace without two whirlwinds of energy to watch over. Not alone since he usually had Ace with him, but his son was turning out to be a rather adventurous child. Twice now Taiyang had turned away from Ace's high chair, only to turn back and find it empty as his youngest crawled towards the door as fast as he could. Taiyang dreaded the day Ace learned to walk. He already had to chase Ruby. He was not looking forward to the time he had to run after two speedy children.

Taiyang sighed and considered the banana he was cutting into tiny pieces. Ace already had mashed carrots in front of him but he ate a lot for such a small boy. Taiyang hoped too much foodstuff would not end up on the floor this time. Ace was not a picky eater in the slightest but he thought flinging food was the funniest thing in the world. Taiyang could not count the times he had to wash mashed peas out of his hair.

"You are going to be a little troublemaker when you grow older, aren't you Ace?" Taiyang told him as he cut the pieces of banana a bit smaller. "Is it too much to hope for that you will be the responsible one who keeps your sisters out of trouble for your poor Daddy?"

"Da..."

Taiyang froze in place and whirled to stare at his son.

"Da..." Ace's face scrunched up in concentration. "Da..."

Taiyang's heart soared into the clouds. He was going to say "Dada" or "Daddy". His son's first word.  _He_  was going to be his son's first word! Yang had said "Mama" first and Ruby had said "'row (Qrow)", but this time  _he_ , Taiyang Xiao Long, had won out. He was so proud!

"Da... Da...  _Damn_." Ace chirped. He waved happily and flung mashed carrots from his spoon. "Damn damn damn damn."

As Ace continued to curse obliviously, Taiyang's eye twitched. "QROW BRANWEN! I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!"

Outside the house, Qrow felt death coming for him. He set Ruby down and patted her hair, smiling at Yang.

"Sorry, kiddos. I have to go."

Yang's eyebrows rose in a suspicious manner. "What did you do?"

"Do you have another mission?" Ruby asked eagerly.

Qrow glanced nervously at the house. "Yeah. A mission. See you."

He turned into a bird and fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since canon's explanations of Aura are contradictory, here is the version I am using: Aura works as a passive shield. However, under certain circumstances (like if its user is in shock) it can deactivate and leave the person vulnerable. Huntsmen can train to prevent that from happening but it takes a lot of work.
> 
> Also, yes, people with Aura can hit Logias much like people with Armament Haki can.
> 
> My headcanon is that Yang's birthday is sometime in summer. Probably July or August.
> 
> Did you know Yang is 19 in Volume 6? I had no idea until I tried to find her birthday.


	4. Inferno

The years passed and life continued on. Taiyang's heart still ached when he thought of Summer, and Qrow would sometimes turn to alcohol for comfort, but their little broken family was beginning to feel slightly less broken. Summer's missing presence lingered. In the pictures on the walls, in the empty side of Taiyang's bed, in the dusty clothes hanging in the closet.

It was the adults who still grieved the most. Nine year-old Yang still missed her Mom (she never called Raven her mom after her reckless trek in the woods) Seven year-old Ruby still did not truly understand that Summer was dead and never coming back. And four year-old Ace never got to know Summer. How could he grieve someone he never knew? If anything, he only felt sad about her when he noticed Taiyang did.

In a way, that hurt Taiyang most of all. Knowing Ace would never know Summer, and that Ruby's memories of her were shaky at the best. There were times when Taiyang still wanted to shut down but they were few and far between.

Life moved on.

His children grew.

Even if it hurt sometimes.

* * *

"Can we train now, Uncle Qrow?" Seven year-old Ruby pleaded. She grabbed onto her uncle's arm and bounced in place. "Please please please please?"

Uncle Qrow hummed and lifted his arm, lifting her off the ground as well. "I thought you were going ice skating on the pond?"

"We are but you're here and you promised to help me." Ruby said as she swung from his arm. "You said we were gonna train and then you were going to let me see your weapon so I could do mine."

"Maybe later." Qrow chuckled.

Ruby pouted and let go of his arm. She landed gracefully on the ground.

"Ruby's getting a weapon?" Four year-old Ace asked as he wandered out the front door.

Daddy shouted for him to come back inside and put on a coat but Ace ran up to Ruby instead and wrapped himself up in her red cloak. Ruby adjusted her cloak so only his face peeked out and he giggled. He stopped giggling as she plopped her chin on top of his head.

"Don't lean on me." he complained.

"But you're the perfect height, shrimp." Yang said as she ran out with his coat.

She put it on him and Ace sulked. Why did he have to wear a coat? He had his new favorite orange shirt on, which had been given to him by Yang on his fourth birthday just a few days before. Ruby had gotten him a stuffed orange tiger but Daddy said Melon could not come along. Ace would leave him with Uncle Qrow to watch but Uncle Qrow did not understand why he was called Melon. He had stripes like that watermelon Daddy brought home. Obviously. But Ace was warm enough with just his shirt. Why did Yang have to cover it up?

"Don't frown or your face will stick like that." Yang said wisely. She smirked and leaned on Ace, who squeaked and wiggled out from under her elbow.

"Don't lean on me!"

"Perfect height." Yang repeated.

Ace crossed his arms with a huff. "One day I'm gonna be really tall." he muttered. "Taller than both of you. And then I'll lean on you like that!"

Yang patted his head consolingly. "Sure, shrimp." She walked back into the house.

Ace was still unhappy so Ruby bounded in front of him with a grin.

"Ace! Did I tell you what my weapon is gonna be? I'm gonna make a high-caliber sniper rifle-scythe." Ruby boasted.

Ace's eyes went wide with awe. "Cool! Can I make a weapon too?"

"When you're bigger like me." Ruby said, chest puffed out with pride. She ruffled Ace's black hair like Uncle Qrow did to hers. "Are you gonna make a scythe like your cool big sister?"

Ace shook his head. "Nuh uh."

Ruby deflated. "B-But you said it's cool..."

"My weapon is gonna be cooler." Ace declared.

"What weapon?" Daddy asked as he came outside with Yang.

Ace ran up to him. "Daddy, I'm gonna make a weapon like Ruby." he said brightly.

Daddy did what Ruby called the "Tired Parent" sigh. "Ace, you are  _four_. You do not need a weapon yet."

Ace's lower lip jutted out. "But Ruby promised..."

"When you're bigger." Ruby reminded him.

"How much "bigger" does he need to be?" Uncle Qrow mused. "He has Aura. We might as well get him started early."

Ace nodded excitedly and danced in place. "Yeah!"

Daddy glowered at Uncle Qrow. "Do we need a repeat of the "First Word" incident?"

Uncle Qrow paled.

Ace was too young back then to remember the "First Word" incident, but Yang had recorded it and shown it to him. Apparently Uncle Qrow taught Ace a bad word and Daddy got mad. Uncle Qrow ran away for a few weeks and hid. When Uncle Qrow had thought it was safe to sneak back, Daddy had been waiting at the door and offered to "spar" with him.

It was the first time the kids saw Taiyang's Semblance in action. Ace had not seen it in person since but it was really cool. His Daddy could summon  _huge_  light dragons. He hoped his Semblance was that cool.

Uncle Qrow had been in the hospital for a week.

"How about you go ice skating for now." Uncle Qrow said hastily.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Ruby shouted.

She vanished into rose petals. Ace's legs were short. When put next to Ruby's additional speed, he could not keep up. He tried anyway and shouted after the rose petals.

"No cheating!"

Arms wrapped around him and Yang scooped him up.

"I've got you, little bro." she said. "Let's catch up."

They followed the rose petals that darted between the trees. Ruby was being a show-off again. Instead of going straight down the path, she was going back and forth and weaving between the trunks. She was pretty far ahead and Ace worried he and Yang would be the "rotten eggs".

At the last second, Ruby reformed too quickly and tripped over a root. Yang held Ace out in front of her so he reached the frozen pond first. She set her giggling brother down and offered a hand for a fist bump. Ace obliged as Ruby looked up and spat out a leaf.

"Looks like you're the rotten egg, sis." Yang teased.

"I would've made it." Ruby muttered.

"If you didn't trip."

"I didn't trip." Ruby denied.

"So you decided to eat dirt?" Yang giggled. "I don't think eating dirt will help you use your Semblance."

"You don't know that." Ruby blustered. "Daddy says I'm finding out more about my Semblance every day."

She turned into petals and sped over to Ace. Yang coughed about show-offs but Ruby ignored her.

Ace watched Ruby's display and pouted. "I want  _my_  Semblance."

"You'll get it soon." Ruby assured him. "Maybe once you start training like I did."

"Maybe." Ace mumbled. He glanced around and started unzipping his coat but Yang caught his hand.

"Nuh-uh. You know the rules. You're keeping that on."

"But I don't need it." Ace muttered. "I'm warm."

"Uh-huh." Yang said. She did not believe him.

Ace grumbled but kept the dumb coat on. Ruby had already pulled on her ice skates and was gliding across the ice. She did a twirl and fell on her butt.

"Ace, come get your skates." Yang commanded.

Ace hesitated. A chill went up his spine and he stared at the ice.

Yang noticed and walked up to him. "Something wrong, little bro?"

Ace slowly shook his head. His eyes remained locked on the ice. "I dunno..."

**Crack.**

The ice below Ruby cracked and she fell through.

"RUBY!" Yang screamed.

She lunged for the hole in the ice as rose petals flickered and a small hand appeared above the water. It reached blindly, and just as it slipped back under, Yang grabbed it. She yanked Ruby up and out of the water. Ruby's cloak was soaked, and she was shivering. Her lips were blue. Yang did not hesitate to lift Ruby up and run down the path.

Ace followed but soon lost sight of his sisters. He knew the way home so it was okay, but Uncle Qrow showed up a second later and scooped him up. Ace did not protest about being carried. He clung to Uncle Qrow until he carried him into the house.

Ruby was shivering on the couch. Her hair was wet, her skin had a blue tinge, and her eyes were closed. Daddy had removed her wet clothes and covered her with a dry blanket. But now Daddy was not moving. His face was pale and his eyes were wide and he jumped when Uncle Qrow touched his arm.

"Qrow, what do we do for cold shock?" he demanded breathlessly. "I... I don't remember."

"Calm down." Uncle Qrow said lowly. "You're trained for this. You already got her out of those wet clothes. Now we have to warm her up.  _Slowly_."

Daddy nodded and hurried ran to the shed to get the old heater. Ace watched the open door swing on its hinges and looked back at Ruby. She still looked cold, so they needed to warm her up? He was always warm, so maybe he could make Ruby warm somehow?

Ace grabbed Ruby's hand. Uncle Qrow made a noise but did not say anything. Instead he told Yang to start heating some hot packs. Yang ran out as Daddy came back with the heater.

Ruby's hand felt really cold in Ace's warms ones. He needed to give her that warmth to warm her up. He just needed to bring the warmth  _out_.

Orange flickered to life.

Uncle Qrow yelled and leaped back. "What the hell?!"

Ace blinked. His orange Aura was flickering over his hands and Ruby's. Except, it was not his Aura, was it? It looked like fire. Ace watched the orange light dance and realized it  _was_  fire. It did not hurt like fire was supposed to. Daddy grabbed Ace's hand and yanked it out of Ruby's. Ace flinched but saw the fire was still covering his sister. Was it warming her up yet? Her skin did not look as pale.

"Ace, what are you doing?" Daddy demanded.

His voice was scared, and Ace's confidence wavered.

"I'm helping Ruby warm up." he explained.

Daddy's face was pale. "Put out the fire."

Ace did not understand why he still sounded so scared. "But I'm helping..."

"Put it  _out!_ " Daddy shouted.

At his voice, Ruby's eyes fluttered open. She saw flames flickering on her and screamed in terror. Ace recoiled. The flames retreated from his sister and clung to his skin. His breathing quickened and he flailed his hands but the flames did not go out. Ruby stared at him and kept screaming, and his eyes filled with tears. He clapped his hands over his ears.

Daddy looked guilty and he reached out to Ace but did not touch him. Was Ace wrong? Did the fire hurt? Was it bad? Was  _he_  bad?

More scared than he had ever been in his short life, Ace ran out the door and fled into the shed. Fire roared around him and he huddled in the corner furthest from the door. He pressed his flaming arms against his body but they would not go out. Instead flames crawled up the walls and suddenly the shed was burning. Fire covered the walls and the doorway and the wooden handles of the rakes.

Ace was a big boy now, no matter what Ruby said, but he could not stop himself from crying. He could not make the flames go away. He tried to put them out but instead they roared angrily around him, covering everything in flickering orange.

Someone moved in the flames.

Tears streamed down Ace's face and he huddled in the corner of the shed. "Go away!"

Arms wrapped around him and he smelled Yang's flower shampoo.

"It's okay." Yang said as she hugged him. "You aren't hurting me, little brother. You're okay."

Ace clung to her and his sobs became soft hiccups. The fire around them slowly extinguished. Daddy ran in and picked up both him and Yang and carried them outside. The shed was ruined. Its wooden sides were black and there was a hole in the roof.

Daddy did not scold Ace for burning the shed. Instead he held and rocked him and whispered that it was okay and he was sorry for shouting and that Ruby was okay. Ruby was upstairs with Uncle Qrow, but then Uncle Qrow came down alone. Ace heard Daddy and Uncle Qrow whispering to each other.

"You have that look on your face." Uncle Qrow was saying. "Are you grounding Yang again?"

"For walking into a fire to help her brother? No. For nearly giving me a heart attack? I'm considering it." Daddy took a shaky breath. "Yang  _isn't_  immune to fire, Qrow. She's resistant but she cannot walk into a roaring inferno like she did. And you saw what happened with Ruby. The flames didn't hurt her. Do you know what this means? Ace can not only create and turn into flames. He can  _protect_  people from them too."

* * *

"Ruby?"

Ace tapped on Ruby and Yang's bedroom door again and lowered his arm. Daddy always said not to close the bedroom doors but he had not come up to scold Ruby for that yet. Or maybe he closed the door so Ruby could sleep. She must be sleeping, which was why she had not answered when Ace knocked a few minutes ago.

When the door still remained closed, he hugged Melon to his chest and bit his lip.

"Don't cry, Melon." he told the tiger. "Ruby's probably sleeping 'cause she was tired."

The tiger's black button eyes looked at him. He looked sad. Ace held him close so he would not be sad and tapped the door again. There was still no answer, so Ace leaned against the door.

"Ruby, I'm not on fire now." he mumbled through the door. "You don't have to be scared of me anymore."

There was no response.

Ace's shoulders slumped. He was about to leave when the door opened. Ruby stood there with mussed hair and eyes foggy with sleep.

She smiled at Ace and ruffled his hair. "Silly little brother. I'll never be scared of you." Ruby leaned over so they were eye level and grinned widely. "Besides, you can turn into flames like I can turn into rose petals. You did take after your cool big sister!"

Ace wanted to point out he could do more than turn into fire but he kept it to himself. He did not mind his silence as Ruby wrapped him up in a hug.

* * *

Qrow flew through the window of Ozpin's office and transformed back into a man as he landed. He straightened and wiped some dirt from his sleeves.

"Sorry I'm late, Oz. Had a Semblance discovery back home. It was a bit of a shock."

Ozpin lowered his coffee mug. "Young Ace discovered his Semblance?"

"Yeah." Qrow grunted. He took a seat across from Ozpin and slouched in his chair. "It's a really dangerous one. The kid can create, turn into, and manipulate fire. I don't envy Tai."

Ozpin sat up straighter. "A Fire Semblance?"

"Yeah." Qrow confirmed. "And a strong one at that. Tai doesn't want to test the limits yet but Ace stopped Ruby and Yang from getting burned."

"I see..." Ozpin considered his reflection in his coffee before he looked up. "Are you certain it is a Semblance?"

Qrow shot Ozpin a look. "Ace is a boy, Oz. I changed enough of his diapers to know."

Ozpin raised his hands in surrender. "I had to ask. Hiding a Maiden as a boy would be a sound strategy."

"Hmph." Qrow grunted.

Ozpin gracefully moved on to a safer topic. "I'm happy you're spending more time with them. How are they?"

"They were a little shaken up by the whole thing. Especially Ace. The kid almost burned the shed down." Qrow's red eyes narrowed. "But enough about my family life. What did you call me in for?"

Ozpin hesitated. "I was wondering if you would come with me to check on the shield."

Qrow's eyebrows went up his forehead. "Really? But we do that every ten years. It's only been four since the last check."

"Yes." Ozpin said. His hands clenched around his coffee mug. "However, I would like to compare my magical signature in the shield to the magic I used on you. The Relics' power will affect the signature but-"

"Don't beat around the bush, Oz." Qrow interrupted. "You want to compare it for a different reason." His anger faded into resignation. "The shield is weakening, isn't it?"

Ozpin avoided his gaze and looked out the window. "Yes. The process is slow, but the shield is gradually losing strength. I will try to reinforce it, but my magical abilities have decreased greatly since I created it. Not to mention I had the Relics to use as well back then. My power is limited now, and I fear it will not be enough."

"Can I give the magic you gave me back to you?" Qrow asked. "I can live without the ability to turn into a bird."

Ozpin smiled at him. "Thank you for the offer but that is impossible."

Qrow slumped in his chair and put his head in his hands. "How long do we have?"

"If there is no catastrophe, I would say at least thirty years. However, we both know Salem  _will_  discover the shield is weakening before then. She will act soon."

Qrow grimaced. "Have you told the World Government yet?"

"Not yet."

"When will you?" Qrow questioned.

Ozpin closed his eyes in sorrow. "I will tell them when... when I  _know_  it cannot be fixed."

_"I will tell them when I will soon fail to keep the Queen of the Grimm contained, and protect the outer world,"_  he did not say.

* * *

It took a long time for Ace to control his Semblance, which Ruby named "Inferno". Ace liked the name so everyone soon accepted it and called it that. He was five and a half before he had little risk of exploding and setting his surroundings on fire.

Ace was not allowed to go to school because of it so Dad taught him at home. He promised Ace could go to school next year but Ace was not sure he wanted to. School sounded boring. Dad was a teacher but he was a fun teacher, while Yang and Ruby always complained about how icky and grumpy their school teachers were.

It was a scary couple years, especially for Ace. He knew his power could not hurt him but worried it could hurt his family. It was a fear no child should have, but Ruby's terrified screams haunted his dreams and often sent him running to Taiyang in the night with flickering skin.

The flames never hurt Ace. No amount of heat did, though once Ruby got a little burn on her arm when Ace sneezed fire. It was an awful accident because Ace had been sick and Ruby just happened to be out of Aura after training, but it was just that. An accident (though Uncle Qrow vanished for a couple weeks for some reason). Despite it being an accident, Ace still cried when he saw it but Ruby forgave him. She said the little scar it left on her wrist was cool since it looked like a bird.

Dad said his Semblance had "active" and "passive" powers like Uncle Qrow's Bad Luck Charm Semblance. The "passive" gave him immunity to heat and used barely noticeable amounts of Aura, like how Uncle Qrow caused bad luck when he did not mean to. Uncle Qrow said he was happy Ace's "passive" protected him.

Ace was unaffected by smoke as well. Dad told Uncle Qrow he "almost had a heart attack" when Ace breathed in a face full of smoke from a campfire, but Ace had kept on going without a single cough. It took a long time for him to learn how to make flames without them making smoke, though he could not prevent the objects he burned from giving off black fumes. Ace worked really hard to make sure people like Ruby and Yang would not be harmed by his power, even if it was just the smoke.

The "active" part (which used up Aura like normal) let Ace control, turn into, and protect others from fire. Dad suspected Ace could make and survive really hot temperatures but he did not want to test him. He also yelled at Ace when Ace pulled things out of the oven without oven mitts, or went near the oven at all. Dad explained that Ace should not be near the oven since he was still little, but the heat never bothered Ace.

The downside to his power (as Ruby first discovered) was that it took Ace a while to cool down if he ignited his body. The first time he successfully extinguished himself without Dad using a fire extinguisher, Ruby had run in to hug him only to yelp at the heat he gave off. But as long as he did not completely turn into fire or use his powers for too long, he was usually cool enough to safely touch. Ace heard Dad tell Uncle Qrow he was worried what would happen if he needed help but no one could touch him.

On Ace's sixth birthday, they had presents and balloons and cake with orange frosting. Dad sent Ruby and Yang with Uncle Qrow to get something and sat Ace down. Having learned from the mistakes made with Yang, he told Ace the truth about his parentage. Ace did not understand at first. He knew what adoption was, but the other kids spoke of it scornfully and said it was for children whose birth parents did not want them. Yang usually punched them in the face for saying that.

Ace looked at Dad, because Dad was still Dad even if he was not Ace's birth dad. "So... my birth mom and dad didn't want me?"

Dad petted his hair. "I don't know, buddy. But  _I_  want you, and love you very much. So do Yang and Ruby and Uncle Qrow."

"Okay." Ace mumbled.

He was six years old which meant he was a big boy now, but he was still a little confused. Like Dad said, he and Yang and Ruby and Uncle Qrow loved him lots and were his family. So was the family he never knew supposed to matter?

"When you're older, you can look for them if you want." Dad continued. "I'm sorry to say I do not have anything that can help you find them."

Ace thought about how angry Yang got whenever Raven was mentioned. Sometimes her eyes would turn red and she would punch the kid that said her real mom abandoned her. Other times she would get sad and hide in her room to cry. Ace did not like it. It was not Yang's fault that Raven was a meanie who left. Besides, Yang had him and Ruby and Dad and Uncle Qrow. Were they not enough?

As he thought about it, Ace realized he did not want to be sad and angry like that.

"No. I don't care who they were. You're my Dad." he insisted.

Dad stared at him for a long time, and his blue eyes grew glassy. Why was Dad crying?

Upset, Ace patted his cheek. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Dad said. "I'm crying because I'm happy." He wiped at his eyes and exhaled. "Do you want Yang and Ruby to know?"

Ace nodded. He and his big sisters shared everything with each other. Why would he keep this a secret? He thought about Yang again and looked at Dad uncertainly.

"Yang isn't going to be mad at me, is she?"

"She won't be mad at you." Dad assured him.

They went and told Ace's sisters, and it turned out Dad was right. Yang was not mad at him. The eleven year-old's red eyes said she was mad at someone, but she smiled at Ace and ruffled his hair.

"Thanks for telling us, little bro."

At the familiar show of affection, Ace ducked his head and scuffed his foot on the ground. "I'm still your brother then?" he mumbled, just to be sure.

Ruby hugged him. "Of course you're sill our brother, silly."

Yang crossed her arms and smirked at him. "Yeah. You don't need your stupid birth family. You have us."

Ace agreed with her but Dad looked a little upset. He shook his head and looked at the piles of garbage bags from the party.

"Yang, I told you to take out the trash an hour ago. Do it now, please."

Yang groaned.

Ace eyed the bags of garbage and pulled on Dad's sleeve. "I can do it. I'm six so I'm big now."

"You're still a shrimp." Yang said.

Ruby nodded in agreement.

Ace stuck his tongue out at them. He may be little but he was really strong, and he showed them. He easily carried the trash bags out back.

Yang had not put the last couple bags in the bin. Instead they were piled next to the container or hidden under the porch. Ace would have to tell Dad on her when he went back inside. He picked up the piled bags and started putting them in the bin one at a time. None of them were ripped, but Yang might get grounded again. There were at least ten. That was a lot.

Ace considered the pile of bags that remained. They were not going to fit in the bin. Maybe Dad would let him burn some? He could say it was training...

Before Ace could run inside to ask, one of the trash bags wiggled.

No, something  _under_  the trash bag wiggled.

Ace hesitantly moved it aside.

* * *

Ace snuck into the house with his coat rolled up in his arms. He looked around hesitantly and ran towards the stairs but Dad saw him when he was halfway up.

"Ace, what are you doing? Why are you carrying your coat like that?" Dad questioned.

Ace looked down at his coat and back at his father. "It wanted a hug?"

Dad did not believe him. "Well, if your coat wants a hug, how about I give it one too?"

Ace shifted from foot to foot. "Um, it only wants a hug from me."

His coat gave a squeaky sneeze.

Daddy sighed. "Ace. Give me the coat, please."

Ace reluctantly handed him the coat. It wiggled in Dad's arms and he moved the fabric aside. A tiny head poked out of the coat and the little black puppy licked Dad's nose.

Dad studied the puppy and sighed. "Ace, where did you find a corgi puppy?"

" _Puppy?!_ " Ruby appeared in a burst of rose petals and Yang appeared a second later.

The older sister squealed. "He's so cute!"

She reached out for the puppy but Dad held him out of her reach. "Hold on, sweetie. We don't know where he's been."

"He was in the trash." Ace mumbled. He looked hopefully at his father. "Can we keep him?"

Dad was about to say no. Ace could tell, as could his sisters, so they pulled out their ultimate weapon. Two pairs of silver and one pair of violet eyes stared pleadingly at him. Dad grumbled and looked at Uncle Qrow but Uncle Qrow was petting the puppy.

"He was in the trash, huh?" Uncle Qrow murmured. "Poor thing must have wandered all the way from town." He looked at Dad out of the corner of his eye.

"Not you too." Dad groaned.

Uncle Qrow winked at his nieces and nephew and looked at Daddy. He widened his eyes in a sorrowful manner and lifted the puppy up. "How can you say no to this face?"

"Easily." Dad said dryly. He took the puppy back from Qrow and looked at his three hopeful kids. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. We can keep him. But you have to take care of him, understand?"

"Yay!" Ace cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made Ace immune to heat and unable to burn (which will include magma). I have an excuse to make Ace immune to Akainu's power so I am using it. I do not even care about the possibly-broken power scaling in that. Sue me. (Do not sue me that is a joke.)
> 
> The smoke thing just makes sense. He would not be able to use his powers if smoke bothered him.
> 
> I ultimately decided to give Ace the ability to turn into fire (like his Logia self) because it would be "similar" to how Ruby can turn into rose petals. (I saw another bonding moment opportunity and I took it, okay? But there are also plot reasons.)
> 
>  
> 
> **Ace's Semblance:**
> 
>  
> 
> Name: Inferno
> 
> Passive (is always active, uses no to the barest amount of Aura in the way that is part of his Aura): Protects Ace from extreme heat, prevents him from being burned, and leaves him unaffected by smoke (breathing it in does not harm him and it does not burn his eyes).
> 
> Active (must be activated, uses up Aura): Pyrokinesis, the ability to turn into flames, and the ability to protect others from heat, smoke inhalation, and fire.
> 
> Limitations/Weaknesses: Other than the usual Aura usage cost, covering himself with flames or turning into them will leave Ace hot to the touch, and if someone without Aura stands too close to him there is a risk they'll get burns from the heat wafting off of him. Water and fire extinguishers can also put out his flames like they can normal flames.
> 
> For comparison:
> 
>  
> 
> **Qrow's Semblance:**
> 
>  
> 
> Name: Bad Luck Charm
> 
> Passive: causes small bad luck events around Qrow like making a bartender knock a glass off the counter. Qrow cannot turn it off.
> 
> Active: causes bad luck on a wider area and to a greater scale. Most beneficial when fighting enemies alone since it will affect allies too. This uses up Aura.
> 
> Limitations/Weaknesses: he cannot turn off his passive, and his active affects everyone around him which includes allies. There is also a limited range that he can affect, and he has no control over what bad luck he causes.
> 
> (I am still terrible at explaining things. Does the comparison help?)
> 
> Please comment and leave Kudos.


	5. Rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief warning: A child says the "wh*re" word.

"Daaaaaaad!" Seven year-old Ace shouted.

Ten year-old Ruby joined him in his shouting. "Dad Dad Dad!"

Taiyang leaned out of the back door and raised an eyebrow at his two younger children. "You don't need to yell, kids. Use your indoor voices."

"But we're outside." Ace pointed out.

Taiyang opened his mouth and paused. Ruby giggled at his perplexity. She darted forward in a whirl of rose petals and grabbed Taiyang's hand.

"Dad, we gotta show you something."

Taiyang felt a sense of dread. "What did you do?"

His dread multiplied when his two children looked at each other and giggled.

"We gotta show you something." Ruby repeated.

She tugged insistently on Taiyang's hand. Ace grabbed his other hand and together the two siblings pulled their father out of the house and towards the woods. Yang was waiting for them with a big grin on her face and Taiyang's dread quadrupled.

"Zwei!" Ace called.

The corgi ran up to him and barked, bouncing in place on his paws in a way that made Taiyang wonder if he was a bouncy ball in doggy form. It was possible since Yang, Ruby, and Ace had "accidentally" awakened the dog's Aura.

Taiyang had scolded them at first but was happy they did it when Zwei was hit by a truck a couple weeks later. The poor truck did not stand a chance. The driver was not hurt, and later Taiyang had to admit the man's stunned expression when he saw the tiny, yipping corgi pull himself out of his fender was funny.

"Look what Zwei and I can do!" Ace said.

The words went through Taiyang's head and set off a series of alarms. There was a part of the human brain that only awakened when one became a parent. For some (like Qrow) it lay dormant forever, while it could awaken in the presence of exceptionally foolish children in others.

Legend called it the "Instinct of NO", and it was so powerful it made the brain and body move at impossible speeds, telling the parent to lunge for their child and stop them from whatever stupid thing they were doing. Even with that burst of energy, Taiyang was not fast enough.

Before Taiyang could stop Ace, he whistled. Zwei jumped into the air, and Ace hit the dog with the pipe. Zwei burst into flames and yipped happily as he tore through the trees with the speed of a runaway train. The trees burst into flames, as did a passing Beowolf that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Taiyang did not blink once as he watched the happily barking Zwei vanish and leave a trail of fiery destruction in his wake. His children remained oblivious to their father's blank-eyed despair.

"Good one, Ace!" Yang cheered.

"High score!" Ruby laughed.

Ace beamed and waved his hand. The fire peeled away from the trees and floated to him. He extinguished it between his palms and smiled at Taiyang.

"Ta da! I was bored so I was playing with Zwei and I accidentally hit him and he caught on fire but he was okay and it was so cool! Did you see how he went whoosh and the trees went whoosh and-"

As his child continued to ramble about how "cool" his discovery was, Taiyang put his head in his hands and exhaled.

Ace's smile faded. "Uh oh."

"I think that was the "Tired Parent" sigh." Ruby hissed to Yang. "Possible grounding incoming!"

"Abort mission?" Yang whispered back.

Ruby nodded and took a breath. "RETREAT!"

She grabbed Ace and vanished into rose petals, speeding into the woods. Yang took off as well, yelling for Zwei. The dog popped out of a pile of charred wood and jumped into her arms.

Taiyang watched his three children run off and slowly walked back into his house in a daze. He knew they would come back eventually and when they did...

Taiyang's eye twitched.

Someone knocked on the door. A second later, Qrow waltzed in with an oblivious grin.

"Hey, Tai. I'm back. Where are my favorite..." Qrow noticed Taiyang's expression and faltered. "Uh, is everything o-"

Taiyang grabbed Qrow by the collar and shook him, eye twitching madly.

"Help Ruby design a weapon for Ace. Recruit Yang too. Now. Right now!" Taiyang snarled. "Maybe  _that_  will distract them from trying to burn the forest down!"

His eye kept twitching.

Wisely, Qrow did not object. He just nodded.

* * *

"But I don't wanna go to school." Eight year-old Ace huffed.

He crossed his arms and scowled down at his sneakers. Dad gave the Tired Parent sigh, like he did every time Ace brought up how much he did not want to go to school. It was not his fault. School was stupid, and Ace did not like it. It was boring, the teachers were grumpy (except Mrs. Gold, who was nice), and the kids were mean. They said mean things about Yang and Ruby and even Dad and Mom. Especially Mom.

Ace hated it. He grabbed Taiyang's leg and looked up at him pleadingly. "Can't I go to Signal with you? I'll do all the lessons and I'll be quiet and I can sit with Yang. I'll be good I promise!"

Thirteen year-old Yang had just started at Signal Academy this year. She had completed her weapon long (Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets named Ember Celica,  _so cool!_ ) long before entering the prep school but finally got to officially start her journey towards Beacon Academy.

Ruby would follow two years later, but Ace had five more years before he could get to the prep school even though his weapon was already designed and built as well. Uncle Qrow joked he was too small for it but Ruby had a six foot tall scythe and she could use her weapon just fine. Ace's was about eight and a half feet long in its melee form and its gun forms were pretty big too but what Ace lacked in height he made up for in strength and versatility. He could use his weapon just fine. And he would not be short forever.

Daddy looked at the clock and then at Ruby (who was waiting for them at the end of the driveway) and crouched in front of Ace. "I don't understand. You used to love school. Is something wrong, buddy? Did something happen?"

"No." Ace said shortly. He looked at his shoes.

Dad sighed. It was not the Tired Parent sigh. This sigh was sadder. "Look, how about we spar after you get home? How does that sound?"

Ace hesitated. He gripped the bottom of his orange shirt and rocked on his feet. "Can I use Dragão Ardente?"

Dad ruffled his hair. "And we'll work on your hand-to-hand too."

"Okay." Ace mumbled.

He scowled the whole way to school and as he entered his classroom. He passed by a group of kids and heard them whispering and giggling to each other. Ace did not need to listen to know what they were saying. They were meanies and liars. Ruby said so, because they said mean stuff about Mom.

Not that Dad knew that, since his children kept quiet about it. The three unanimously agreed that Dad did not need to know that lots of the children at school (and the parents since the kids could not come up with this stuff) thought Mom had cheated on Dad with Uncle Qrow and had Ace.

Ace knew that was not true but the rumors made him mad. All of Dad's stories about Mom said she was an amazing super mom. How could these kids say such mean things about such an awesome person?

One of the kids (named Duke) spotted Ace and laughed. "Hey, Raven! Where's your dad? Did he come to visit you yet or did he abandon you too?"

Ace gritted his teeth and glared at his desk. He hated the name the kids called him. He was not sure if they did it because of his black hair and Qrow's bird-like name, or because they knew about Raven. It was a good thing Yang was at Signal and did not know about it. She would punch them all in the face.

Mrs. Gold told the class to settle down and did roll call before starting the lesson. She clapped her hands together. "I have an exciting topic for today, class. Today we're going to talk about the shield. Does anyone know what the shield does?"

A girl with pigtails (named Honey) raised her hand. "It keeps the Grimm inside Remnant."

"Very good, Honey." Mrs. Gold said. Another kid raised his hand. "Frio, what do you know about it?"

"It also keeps the World Government and pirates out." Frio said.

"No it doesn't." Honey scoffed.

"Yes it does!" Frio snapped.

Ace slouched in his seat and wished he could cover his ears. Those two always got into arguments.

"Both of you are right." Mrs. Gold interjected. "It keeps certain people from getting in, or out without permission."

"That's what I said." Frio sniffed. "Only one person ever got out of the shield without permission."

Ace rolled his eyes as Frio copied the teacher's words.

"That's not true." Honey yelled. "That's a story."

"Calm down. No yelling." Mrs. Gold said quickly. "We don't know if the story is true or false. Frio, who is the person from the story?"

"Gold Roger." Frio said promptly. He tipped his head curiously. "Mrs. Gold, are you related to Gold Roger?"

Mrs. Gold chuckled. "No, I'm not. And it's "Gol D.", not Gold, sweetie."

"Calling him "Gold" is World Government pop-ganda." Duke said in a lofty tone.

_Propaganda_ , Ace thought but kept to himself. Ace really did not like Duke. He thought he knew everything and liked to shove that in other kids' faces.

"My daddy says the World Government are a bunch of hacks." Duke continued. "He says the Pirate King was never captured but the World Government says they caught him. They're liars."

Duke may be a meanie but he and Ace agreed on that. The other kids did too and they murmured to each other and Honey raised her hand.

"Mrs. Gold, is it true the World Government lets people keep slaves?"

"Like the Faunus used to be?" another kid piped up.

"Like they still should be." Duke muttered.

"No they shouldn't." Ace snapped. "Everyone deserves to be free."

Duke glanced at him. Ace did not like the look in his eyes. "Did you dad tell you that?"

"Yeah. He did." Ace snarled.

"Quiet!" Mrs. Gold said sharply. "Since we're talking about the shield today..." Her voice lowered and only Ace heard her next sentence. "And I am not talking politics with eight year-olds..." Her voice went back to its normal volume. "Let's stay on topic, shall we?"

The lesson continued until recess. Ace found the shield to be interesting, but not as interesting as the lessons to do with Huntsmen. He wanted to be a Huntsman and kick Grimm butt, not a Guardian who watched over the shield.

As the other children played, Ace sat by himself and waited for Ruby to arrive. None of the other kids approached him but he did not care. He didn't. So what if they were scared of him because of his Semblance and whispered about his parentage in front of him? His Semblance was cool and Taiyang was his dad, so there.

A shadow fell over Ace and he looked up to see Duke and three of his "minions" (as Yang would call them). Yang also said that they picked on Ace because they were jealous Ace had Aura and cool powers while they did not. Yang was really smart like that. She even knew a couple of Uncle Qrow's swear words and had managed to keep that a secret from Dad.

Ace resisted the urge to sigh. "Go away."

"Make me, Raven." Duke mocked.

Ace gritted his teeth. He could fight them off easily. He knew he could. A shove would probably be enough for them to leave him alone. But if he did that, they would go crying to the adults and he would get in trouble because he had Aura and they did not. If Ace retaliated in any way, he would be the one to get in trouble even though they bothered him first. It was not fair.

"Hey,  _Raven_." Duke grinned at him. "Your dad has a bird name, doesn't he? Is he a Faunus? Are  _you_?"

"I'm not a Faunus." Ace said. His fists clenched and he glared at Duke. "But if I was, it would be  _cool_  because they have super hearing and can see in the dark and-"

Duke shoved him. Ace did not budge an inch and would have been proud of that fact if not for the smirk on Duke's face.

"I knew it! You  _are_  a Faunus. Where's your feathers,  _Raven_?"

Duke grabbed Ace's hair and pulled it, and Ace yelped as a few black strands were yanked loose. Yang would be throwing a fit right now, but Ace reminded himself that Dad promised to train him later if he was good and did not retaliate.

Then Duke grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked it. Ace heard something tear and felt cold air on his back. He jerked away from Duke as he and his minions laughed.

"Where's your wings, Raven? Did your fake Dad hate them and rip them off?"

"Taiyang's my real Dad." Ace growled.

He felt fire under his skin but did not let it out. These boys were stupid meanies. Using a Semblance on them was not worth it. However, using his fists to beat them up was becoming tempting...

"Is he?" Duke mocked. "Cause my dad says your mom was a whore-"

"What's going on here?"

Eleven year-old Ruby Rose was not a tall girl. She knew it, Yang knew it, Uncle Qrow constantly teased her about it. But to four short, unruly eight year-olds, she loomed over them. With her hood up and her cloak billowing out in the wind, Ace could almost say his sister was intimidating. Ruby was the sweetest and kindest person he knew, but she was more than capable of anger. At the moment, she was definitely angry.

Duke and his minions acted like all cowardly bullies did when faced with someone bigger than them. They fled and left Ace and Ruby alone. Ace watched them go and looked at the ground.

"Jerks." Ruby muttered. She leaned over so she was eye-level with Ace. "Are you okay, little bro?"

"I'm fine." Ace mumbled.

Ruby gritted her teeth. She looked a lot like Yang. "They ripped your favorite shirt."

Ace craned his neck to look at the back of the shirt. It was ripped halfway down his spine. He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. "I'm not sad." he denied.

"Of course now." Ruby said softly. She reached up and unclipped her cloak. To Ace's surprise, she wrapped it around him. "How about you wear this the rest of the day so you're not cold?"

"I don't get cold." Ace mumbled.

The cloak was a bit big on him but it felt nice. Like a big hug, not that Ace would admit that aloud. Ruby adjusted the clasp and flipped the hood up on his head. Ace yelped as it covered his eyes and heard his sister giggle. She pulled the hood back enough so Ace could see her smiling face.

"Sorry I can't hang out today, little bro. I'm in the middle of tweaking Crescent Rose's systems."

Ace brightened at the mention of the weapon. "They let you bring it here? Can we work on Dragão Ardente too?"

Ruby laughed, a smile in her eyes. "Sure. Did you bring it with you?"

Ace's face fell. "No... Dad won't let me. Why'd he let you?"

Ruby giggled and ruffled his hair. "I have a weapon smithing class, remember?"

Ace huffed and crossed his arms.

Ruby's smile grew as she watched her brother sulk. "You'll be able to bring it in a couple years. For now, come watch me do magic."

"Weapon smithing isn't magic." Ace stated. "It's weapon smithing. And mechanics."

Ruby pouted. "You could  _pretend_  it's magic since it would make your big sister doubly awesome. And do you even know what mechanics means?"

Ace shot her an unimpressed look.

Ruby laughed and ran towards the school. "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

She burst into rose petals.

"You're cheating again!" Ace shouted and ran after her.

Duke and his minions were waiting by the door. He waited until Ruby was back inside before speaking loudly. "Of course you have to have big sis save you. She's such a weirdo. What normal person is so obsessed with weapons? No wonder she doesn't have any friends."

Ace halted in place and glared at the kid. "What'd you say about Ruby?"

Duke smirked at him and revealed a missing tooth. "I said she's weird and has no friends-"

Ace punched him in the face.

* * *

Taiyang had to pick up Ace and take him home. Ace was not suspended, but he got a warning from the principal. Ace fiddled with Ruby's cloak and wrapped it around himself even though he was not cold.

Taiyang had noticed he was wearing Ruby's precious cloak but did not comment about it. They headed up the driveway and Taiyang stopped in the living room with a sigh.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?"

Ace shifted and looked at his shoes. "Those kids said mean things."

Taiyang sighed, but it was not the Tired Parent sigh just yet. "Ace, you can't punch kids because they say mean things."

"Yang does." Ace pointed out.

"Yang is a bad role model who thinks punching will solve all her problems." Taiyang crouched so he was eye level with Ace. "What did they say, buddy? I know it takes a lot for you to get worked up like this."

Ace shifted on his feet. "They kept saying mean things about Faunus. Then they called Ruby weird."

Taiyang sighed. "Ace-"

"And they said Mom cheated on you with Uncle Qrow." Ace whispered and his eyes filled with frustrated tears. "Duke called her a "whore"."

Taiyang flinched and gritted his teeth. In his mind, an image of Qrow appeared and asked if it was wrong to punch children. Taiyang firmly told that image that yes, it was wrong to punch stupid children who were repeating what their parents said. He ignored it when the Qrow-image said they should go and punch the parents then and focused on his son.

"How long has this been going on?"

Ace shifted his weight back and forth and avoided looking at Taiyang. "A while. All the kids started talking about it."

Taiyang had half a mind to hunt down whoever started those rumors and introduce them to his dragons but reminded himself that gossip was normal on an island like this. He hugged his son and brushed his fingers through his hair.

"I know those words hurt, but they are all lies, Ace. Duke only said those things to get a reaction out of you and get you into trouble."

Small hands reached up and gripped his sleeves. "But why?"

"Because you are amazing and strong, and Duke is jealous of that." Taiyang said bluntly.

He was not about to come up with some excuse for the behavior of the boy that bullied his son. It was clear Duke had problems at home and awful parents if they said such awful things in front of their kid. Duke wanted someone to take his anger out on, but Taiyang was not going to let a bratty child hurt his kid. Perhaps it was time for him to have a "nice" meeting with the principal and Duke's parents since they seemed so interested in his family's lives.

"Am I in trouble then?" Ace asked, voice small. "Does that mean we aren't sparring?"

Taiyang exhaled slowly. "No, you're not in trouble. Just don't do it again, okay? If Duke bothers you again..." And he would not if Taiyang had any say in the matter. "...walk away. I know it is easier said than done but I trust you to try. And we are still sparring.

It was telling that Ace only brightened up a little. Ace ran up to retrieve Dragão Ardente and returned to cling to Taiyang's sleeve as they walked outside. Taiyang did not comment on it and let his son stay close to him. Zwei trotted out of the house and sat down to watch. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.

"We'll start with hand-to-hand today." Taiyang began.

Ace nodded and put his weapon by Zwei. The dog eyed it and Ace glared at him.

"Not a stick." he reminded the corgi.

Zwei laid down on his paws in disappointment.

Ace returned to Taiyang and took up a stable position. Both Taiyang and Yang were teaching Ace how to fight hand-to-hand and the boy learned quickly. He was small but he had more strength than any of them had been prepared for, and he took to the family's style of fighting like a fish took to water. He had sharp eyes for detail, and would often only have to see the moves a few times before he could do them reasonably well for himself.

This was unlike Ruby, who was not suited for hand-to-hand combat. She was near-unstoppable with a scythe or other weapon in hand, but without she tended to trip over her own feet. Unlike his three years-elder sister, Ace was so adept, in fact, that Taiyang had thought he would create some type of gauntlet-like weapon like Yang utilized.

Color him surprised when Ace and Ruby designed a pole-weapon instead. Taiyang and Ace went through a series of katas before they "sparred". It was not so much a spar as it was Taiyang blocking while giving Ace advice. Ace only sparred with Yang due to their closer size, and even she was still more than a head taller than him. Taiyang tried not to think about his children fighting adults and huge opponents. He really didn't.

Once they were done with katas, Taiyang allowed Ace to grab his weapon. His son lit up like it was his birthday and ran to Dragão Ardente. He picked it up and Zwei stood as well, tongue lolling.

"Not a stick, Zwei." Ace reminded the dog. "It's a double-bladed naginata, double-barrel shotguns."

The dog only tipped his head and yipped. He still looked at Dragão Ardente's naginata form and saw "large orange stick with pointy shiny ends". Ace grumbled at Zwei's oblivious reaction and walked to Taiyang.

"Let's work on form two today." Taiyang ordered.

Ace gripped his weapon in both hands and twisted it. The six-foot pole of the naginata came apart and left Ace with two shorter weapons, one in each hand and tipped by a fifteen-inch blade. The naginata had been Ace's idea, the long blades from Ruby, the shotguns Yang's, and the third mode a combination of Taiyang and Qrow's inputs. Ace's weapon had pieces from all of them, and Taiyang knew it was intentional. Ace would always hold his family close.

Taiyang noticed it took a second to get the pole apart and shifted out of his ready stance.

"Ace, is the mechanism sticking?"

"A little." Ace admitted because his father was very clear about making sure their weapons were in tip-top condition. "I have to ask Ruby to fix it later."

Taiyang frowned and stepped close. "Let me see the gun forms."

Ace nodded and pressed a trigger on his weapons. The two three-foot poles split again and slid back to a stop next to the rest of the "pole", The handles in Ace's hands shifted and a trigger slid out. The fifteen-inch blades slid inward a few inches and the mechanisms clicked into place. Ace held the two gigantic bayonet-tipped double-barrel shotguns and kept them pointed at the ground.

"This transformation isn't sticky." he told Taiyang. "It's just from the naginata part."

Taiyang held out his hand for the weapon and Ace handed him one of the shotguns. He studied it for a moment but admitted that (even at eleven years-old) Ruby was more knowledgeable than he was at this.

"Sorry, Ace, but no weapons today. Ruby should fix this first."

Ace's face fell. "But..."

"No buts." Taiyang said sternly. "You could get hurt if the mechanism doesn't work properly."

Ace hung his head and kicked at the dirt unhappily. Taiyang was about to prepare himself for an argument when a familiar bird flew into the yard.

Qrow transformed into his human form as he landed.

He did not smile as he spotted his nephew. His red eyes were cold.

Alarm bells rang in Taiyang's head. "Ace, how about you start cleaning up and go inside?"

Ace noticed his dad's tone and did not argue. he grabbed his weapon and Zwei and ran in. Taiyang checked his Scroll and saw Ruby and Yang would not be home for another few hours. He got straight to business.

"What is wrong?"

"Incoming pirates. Likely unfriendly ones." Qrow said shortly. "They're unapproved. Someone let them through the shield."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This is my first cliffhanger ever. How did I do? The next chapter will start up where this one ended.
> 
> Good news, I had time to write this and update fast.
> 
> Bad news, I had time to write this because I am sick. Bleck. I am bored. I am sitting in a pile of tissues. My throat hurts. Bleck.
> 
> I am working under the assumption that Signal is a four-year school like Beacon. Students enter at age thirteen, finish at sixteen, and go to Beacon at seventeen.
> 
> With how I have seen Ace described as "raven-haired" so often in fics, plus his (Yang's) relationship to Raven, I would swear using it as a mean nickname for him in this story was meant to be. The other kids do not know why Ace hates it so much, but they see it upsets him so they keep using it. Kids can be real mean.
> 
> I hope you do not mind the minor OCs. Ace needed classmates (and bullies). I wanted to show a bit of schooling to show another difference between Remnant and the outside world: the World Government cannot use propaganda and hide information in Remnant like they can outside of Remnant. For example, everyone knows Roger is "Gol D." and he gave himself up. I think this is ironic since Salem and the Maidens are kept secret from the public...
> 
> Dragão Ardente means "Burning Dragon" in Portuguese. I hope I was able to describe its transformations well enough. It's an eight and a half-foot long (including fifteen inch blades on each end) orange double-bladed naginata that splits into dual three-foot-ish (plus fifteen-inch blade) blade-tipped pole weapons that transform into one and a half-foot-ish double-barrel shotguns with bayonets.


	6. Pretty Bird

"Incoming pirates. Likely unfriendly ones. They're unapproved. Someone let them through the shield."

It took a heartbeat for Taiyang to understand Qrow's words because surely no pirates were that horribly dumb. His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. " _What_? How did they get so far into Remnant waters without anyone noticing?"

"They stayed out at sea and avoided land. An airship spotted them." Qrow growled. "The Guardians just called it in. It seems Patch is their target."

The words should worry Taiyang, but instead an icy calm swept through him because he had an idea why the pirates were headed to Patch. "Someone is getting fired."

"Someone is getting put on trial and executed." Qrow corrected. "A Guardian let an unapproved pirate ship into the shield, and we both know they could not do that by  _accident_. Friendly pirate crews like the Sun, Whitebeard, or Red-Hair Pirates would not come in without going through customs either. They know our ways. So these bas..." Qrow paused to look at the house where Ace may be listening in. "...idiotic pirates want to try their hand at attacking us."

Taiyang grimaced. Outside threats (be they arrogant pirates or arrogant Marines) were taken very seriously in Remnant. Celestial Dragons were banned from the land on principle with no exceptions. One could be bleeding out outside of the shield and Remnant would refuse to let them in because they knew what the World Nobles would do if they were given the opportunity.

The atrocities the Celestial Dragons pulled outside would not be tolerated in Remnant, not that the arrogant nobles would understand that. Not to mention the Grimm they would attract with the fear they caused the average person. It would be a political mess if Remnant killed one of the nobles for acting like the asshats (Qrow's words, not Tai's) they were.

Pirates, Marines, Fishmen, traders, and other factions could enter Remnant, but only after going through a thorough screening and approval process run by the Guardians whose duty was to patrol by the shield.

The system was not perfect, however. Guardians could be bribed, which was probably what happened here. There were always those outsiders who arrogantly thought they could capture a Grimm and turn it into a weapon, or sought out Aura-awakened children to sell on the Black Market.

If a child was taken, the perpetrators would be dead when they neared the shield. If not from the Guardians or furious Huntsmen parents, then from the shield itself. The shield was more than a glowing bubble that separated Remnant from the rest of the world. It acted like an electric fence and a gun, with awakened Auras acting as an urgent alarm.

If an unapproved ship tried to leave, the shield's systems would blast them to oblivion before they could say "Oops". If they tried to leave and had someone with an Aura on board, the person would be transported to the closest Guardian station. Then the unapproved ship would be blasted to oblivion before they could say "Oops".

It was why it was so rare for people to sneak through. Ships had to go through elaborate and complex customs and checks in order to receive the means to pass back out through the shield safely.

All Remnant ships had those means, but invaders would have little luck if they hoped to steal one of Remnant's vessels to escape. The shield had an eerie ability to sense ill-intent and lock onto it, almost like the Grimm it protected the wider world from. Or it was almost like it could sense the choices of those who tried to escape it...

Taiyang had no idea who created the shield (no one knew how it came into existence), but they were a mad and terrifying genius. To this day, scientists still scratched their heads as to how the shield did what it did. Even Atlas's technology was nowhere close to being that advanced.

"So they want me to take care of it?" Taiyang guessed.

"Yep. I told Jimmy you would. Otherwise he'd come deal with it himself." Qrow said. "If these idiots think they can sneak around without consequences, they must not be a very old crew. Should be easy."

"How far out is the ship?" Taiyang asked, already heading towards the door.

"You'll be able to see it from the shore in half an hour."

"Is it Adam's wood?"

"Nope."

Taiyang nodded. "I'll handle it alone. You fly in and make sure there are not any prisoners on board before I sink it."

He felt no remorse for what he was about to do, because if those pirates were coming here, they were likely after Aura-awakened children.  _His_  children.

Taiyang's tattoos glowed.

* * *

Marco the Phoenix, proud First Division Commander and First Mate of the Whitebeard Pirates, was not having a great month. He was having a rather terrible month, actually.

He had been sent on what should have been a simple mission to an island ask for supplies to be prepared for when the Moby Dick arrived. Being captured by a bunch of lowlife pirates on the way there was not on his schedule, but here he was, trapped in his Phoenix form in a cage.

Worse, it was a bird cage.

When Marco got out of here, these pirates were dead, whoever they were. Marco did not have time to see their flag before they captured him with a Seastone net and shoved him into this cage with a Seastone cuff around his ankle. Marco hated to admit it, but he could not escape.

The Phoenix was already drained from the Seastone and to make matters worse, he was nearly starving. The pirates rarely thought to feed their prisoner. In fact, they hardly seemed to realize Marco was human. If not for the Seastone around his ankle, Marco may believe they were unaware of his identity. But they were, and did not seem to care if they killed one of the sons of Whitebeard.

Marco laid his head against the bars of the bird cage and sighed. It came out as a low  _shuff_  sound because of his current form. He was never going to hear the end of this. Once Thatch stopped fretting over him, Marco would have to deal with endless teasing from the chef. He imagined the bird puns and shivered. His vision darkened but he fought off unconsciousness. He could stay awake a little longer.

A flutter of wings caught his attention and he looked up. Beady red eyes stared back at him. How had a crow gotten on the ship? Marco studied it curiously and realized they must be close to land if the bird was there.

The crow eyed the Phoenix and gave a low caw. It fluttered down to his cage and pecked the lock. Although he knew the bird would not understand him, Marco gave a low, tired warble and shook his head. He could not get the lock open. If he had fingers he would be able to but with wings, he was frustratingly useless.

The crow cawed in annoyance and fluttered around the room. It reminded Marco a bit of a human pacing, except with flight instead of steps. It soon flew back to his cage and landed in front of it.

Light flared, and in the crow's place was a tall, black-haired, red eyed man.

Marco did not know as much about Remnant (Sea Spirits help him, he was in  _Remnant_ ) as he did the rest of the world. Even Yonko crews dare not linger inside of the shield long enough to get to know the area and its people (except maybe Red Hair and his men). However, he knew enough to recognize this man.

It was Qrow "Death Scythe" Branwen, the right hand of Ozpin.

Marco would never admit that he squawked in surprise, even under threat of torture.

Branwen shushed him and frowned at the lock. "Hush, my feathery friend. You're too pretty to sink with this scummy boat. Be quiet a tic and I'll get you out, deal?"

It could be Branwen did not realize he was a Zoan, or (from what Marco had heard of the man) he knew and was purposely trying to get a rise out of Marco. If the latter was the case, Marco did not oblige him with another squawk, and instead kept quiet as he drew his giant sword.

Marco tensed but he did not move. He doubted Branwen wanted him dead. The people of Remnant did not take kindly to invaders, but Marco was clearly a prisoner. He did not come by choice.

Marco's instincts proved correct as Branwen slashed through the metal bars and yanked the cage back. It appeared the rumors of Huntsmen's physical strength was true. At the very least, this Huntsman's strength.

"Get out of here. The dragons are coming." Qrow said with a low chuckle.

He turned back into a bird and flew out. Marco shook off his dizziness and followed. Branwen's small black body went unnoticed by the pirates, but Marco's larger and blue-colored Phoenix was much more noticeable. Upon spotting him, the captain of the pirates gave a shout.

"It's the bird!"

"Get it!" another pirate shouted, but it was too late.

Marco flew high into the sky, away from the boat he had been trapped in.

He was free.

Below him, two gigantic dragons tore through the ship's bow and out its stern. The vessel sank in seconds and left the surviving pirates in the water to be picked up by overly-eager law enforcement.

* * *

Ace was bored. He sat on Ruby's bed in her and Yang's room (Ace had his own room down the hall) ahd leaned his chin on his arms as he watched Ruby fiddle with Dragão Ardente and adjust a few of the mechanisms. She had just gotten home an hour ago, but Yang was not back from Signal Academy yet. She was probably hanging out with her friends even though Dad said to come straight home after school.

Ruby picked up a tool, considered it, and put it down to pick up another one instead. She twisted a piece on his weapon and held it up in the light.

"That should do it."

Ace perked up. "Is Dragão Ardente fixed?"

Ruby looked at the naginata from different angles before holding it out. "She should be. Try the mechanism."

Ruby handed him the naginata. Ace twisted it into two and the mechanism slid smoothly apart. He grinned and snapped the weapon back together.

"It's working again!" he cheered. "Thanks, Ruby."

She stood and ruffled his hair. "What are big sisters for?"

"Giving hugs." Ace said, straight-faced.

Ruby laughed at him and hugged him tightly. She ignored his squeak of indignation. "You're suck a dork."

"Not as big of a dork as you." Ace claimed as he elbowed her in the ribs.

"So you admit I'm bigger then." Ruby said triumphantly.

"Only until I grow!" Ace grumbled. "Right, Zwei?"

Zwei barked in agreement. He bounced over to Ace and tried to grab onto Dragão Ardente but Ace lifted it out of his reach. Zwei whined and retreated to go hide under Ace's bed to sulk. Before he could burrow under Ace's bed, his ears pricked and he sniffed the air. Zwei turned and snarled at the window.

Ruby ran to the glass to see what he was growling at and backed away just as quickly.

"Ace, there's an Ursa Major outside." Ruby murmured quietly.

"Should we kill it?" Ace asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Probably but... Dad doesn't like it when we do when he's not around. There could be lots more." She peered out the window again and frowned. "Why is it so close to the house?"

Ace did not have an answer so he reached for his weapon.

Ruby stopped his hand. "I've got this, little bro."

Ace frowned. "But I can help."

Ruby shook her head. "Dad would be mad if I let you fight. I-"

Ace saw something blue move in the tree line. He realized the Ursa was not lumbering towards the house, but whatever that was. He grabbed Dragão Ardente and ran outside, ignoring Ruby's shout to stop. He twisted a mechanism and the stave part of his naginata compressed inward, shortening by a foot on each end.

He ran out into the yard and the Ursa noticed him instantly. It ignored the small child that ran fearlessly towards it and instead pursued the prey that was not moving and could not get away. Ace jumped onto its back with a roar and aimed his naginata at the back of its skull. He pressed a button and the compressed section shot out with the force of one of Yang's punches. It stabbed straight through the Ursa and out its mouth.

The Ursa slumped underneath him and started turning into ashes. Ace stumbled as he lost his footing and fell off its back. Before he could hit the ground, he was caught by rose petals. The rose petals became Ruby.

"What were you doing?" she snapped as she set him on the ground.

"What you would've." Ace said stubbornly.

Ruby opened and closed her mouth a few times. Her shoulders slumped and she groaned. "Dad's going to be mad at me for this."

"He would still be upset if you went out to fight it." Ace pointed out.

Ruby twitched. "B-But..."

Ace ignored his sister and remembered the Ursa's target. He hurried to the edge of the woods and looked around. Another Grimm had not dragged it off, had it? He spotted a bit of blue in the foliage and moved it aside. His eyes grew round.

"Wow."

Ruby crouched next to him and gasped. "What kind of bird is this? It's so pretty!"

"It's also big." Ace mused.

Indeed, the bird was larger than Dad was tall. The only birds that Ace had seen that were bigger were the Nevermore, but this bird was certainly not a Grimm. Its feathers were blue and yellow and almost fire-like in the way they shifted. It had glasses-like markings around its eyes and a strange symbol on its chest.

Ace did not see any wounds on it and decided it must be asleep because its eyes were closed and its chest was moving. Behind it was a line of broken trees and foliage which showed the rapid and likely unintended path of its descent.

Ruby cooed at the bird and stroked its head feathers but the bird did not react.

"Poor bird." she murmured. "It must have crashed here."

Ace looked at the bird and bit his lip. "Did the Ursa hurt it?"

Ruby looked worried. "I don't know. Let's get it inside."

* * *

The first thing Marco noticed when he regained consciousness was he was laying on something soft. He tiredly raised his head and realized he was in a bed. He lifted his head and considered the garish orange bedspread that had been pulled over him. A scan of his surroundings revealed he was inside of a bedroom. A child's bedroom if the toys on the shelves were any indication.

The last thing he remembered was falling unconscious in midair. Had he been found by a child? The door opened and Marco watched rose petals rush in and turn into a girl, answering his question. She did not notice he was awake as she grabbed something off the shelf.

"See! It was too an Ursa Major. It had the spikes and everything."

"Sure, little sis." a slightly older blonde-haired girl drawled as she entered. "It totally believe you."

"No you don't!" Another voice complained. A younger black-haired boy stomped in last, followed by a corgi. He pointed at the toy, which Marco recognized as a type of Grimm action figure. "It looked like this."

"You're just mad you weren't there to fight it." the red-cloaked girl teased.

As Marco watched, the yellow-wearing girl's eyes turned red and her hair gained flickers of golden flame. He remembered he was in Remnant and his breathing quickened. These were not just three children. These were three Aura-awakened children.

Oh dear.

Marco did not know much about Remnant, but he did know that Huntsmen and Huntresses protected their children as fiercely as Whitebeard. Every pirate who sailed the seas long enough heard the claim that the scariest thing in Remnant was not the Grimm, but the parents whose kids some ignorant bastard thought they could steal.

Persistent whispers in the bars told a story of how a Celestial Dragon had attempted to take a Huntsman's child and been killed on the spot, and the Marines could only look the other way instead of demanding the usual Buster Call. It was just rumors, of course, but even rumors could have an inkling of the truth in them.

Hopefully Mommy Huntress or Daddy Huntsman was not the "shoot first, shoot more second" type.

A bark drew his attention and he peered down at the small black corgi. The dog growled at him and if Marco could in his Phoenix form, he would have frowned in annoyance. The dog noticed the dismissal and jumped in place, barking insistently. The children finally noticed Marco was awake.

"Hi, Mister Bird!" the red-cloaked girl greeted brightly. "I'm Ruby! The Ursa that tried to kill you is dead so you're safe now. I didn't get to kill it but if I did I woulda gone  _whoosh_  with my Semblance and  _slash_  with my scythe and  _stabbed_  it and-"

Marco stared at her as she continued to ramble, struggling to keep up. Apparently she had a scythe called Crescent Rose? And she designed it herself? And she built it herself? And she fought with it even though it was six feet tall? And it was also a sniper rifle?

_I am certainly in Remnant._

"Ruby, I don't think he can understand you." the blonde-haired girl mentioned. Her eyes were no longer red (they were violet), and she looked amused.

Ruby paused mid-ramble and her cheeks turned as red as her cloak. "Eep!" she pulled the hood up and hid her face.

The boy scowled and poked his older sister in the side. "Don't be mean, Yang."

"Ruby's talking about her scythe to a bird." The girl (Yang?) teased. "I know you've talked our ears off already but let the poor bird recover, Rubes."

Ruby spluttered incoherently.

Marco heard a door open and the three children froze.

"Uh oh." the boy said.

"Dad's home." Yang squeaked.

"Retreat?" Ruby offered hopefully.

The boy grabbed the blanket. "Maybe we can hide him."

Marco shot the boy a droll stare. His personal offense at the notion of being covered by that horrific orange monstrosity showed even on the Phoenix's expressionless bird face. The boy grumbled and dropped the blanket.

"It won't work. Dad will find out."

""Dad will find out" what?" An adult male voice asked.

A tall, well-built blond-haired man walked into the room. Sharp blue eyes landed on Marco and he sighed, putting a hand to his head.

"No."

"We didn't even say anything." the boy protested.

The father looked at Marco again and his eye twitched. " _No_ , Ace. Why do you keep bringing stray animals into the house? First it was Zwei, then a kitten, then a snake, then a  _newborn Beowolf_  that could have clawed your eyes out-"

_Stray animal?_

Marco's feathers were ruffled but he calmed himself. He should be grateful the father (who was a Huntsman if his weapon was any indication) had not realized he was a Zoan yet.

"I didn't bring the Beowolf  _into_  the house. I just tried to. The Beowolf looked like a lost black puppy. I figured out it wasn't a puppy when I grabbed it." the boy, Ace, protested. "Besides, this is different. Dad, an Ursa tried to hurt the bird so I killed the Ursa and took the bird inside where he would be safe."

Marco glanced at the small boy in shock. He had killed the Ursa? He looked no older than eight at the most.

The father stared at his kid in similar surprise for a moment (Marco could relate) before he frowned. "Ace,  _what_ did I just tell you about this?"

Ace scuffed his foot on the ground and did not answer.

"Can we keep Mister Bird?" Ruby blurted.

Marco's feathers fluffed up indignantly. He was not a pet, yoi.

The father noticed his irritated reaction and his lips twitched into a smile. "Ruby, I don't think this bird wants to be a pet." His gaze roamed over the Phoenix and took in his blue fiery feathers. "Whatever kind of bird he is, he probably wants to fly fr..."

The father spotted the cuff on Marco's ankle and his smile froze on his face. He yanked Ace behind him and pointed his weapon at the Phoenix.

"Who are you?"

Marco kept absolutely still. He may be in his Phoenix form but his healing was greatly hindered by the Seastone. Metal cocked and the bracelets around Yang's wrists shifted into gauntlets. She stepped in front of Ruby.

"What's going on?!" she shouted, and Marco winced at her volume.

Footsteps pounded and Qrow "Death Scythe" Branwen ran into the room with his sword in hand. He caught sight of the bird and the battle-light in his red eyes faded.

"Oh, it's you. Hey."

The father glanced hesitantly at Branwen. His weapon lowered slightly. "You know him?"

"Him?" Branwen murmured. He glanced down at the cuff and his eyes went wide. "A Zoan, huh? He was in a cage on that pirate ship."

"What pirates?" Ace demanded. "Are they mean? Can I fight them?"

"This is a person?" Yang yelped.

"Like Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked curiously as she peeked around her sister.

The adults did not answer them.

"He was a prisoner?" the father murmured.

"Yes, Tai." Branwen said carefully. "I know I'm the one who set him free but don't be a bleeding heart..."

The father, Tai, had already lowered his weapon completely. He gestured at the Seastone cuff. "If we remove this, will he turn back?"

"Yep." Branwen said. His voice was almost lazy, but his gaze was sharp with a warning.

Tai locked gazes with Marco and the same warning was in his eyes:  _"One wrong move and you're dead. You will not harm our children."_

Marco inclined his head to show he got the message.

"Yang, get the toolbox please." Tai ordered.

Yang hesitantly lowered her gauntlet-covered fists and hurried out. She returned with a tool box. Branwen knelt and deftly picked up some lock picks. He grinned and winked at the children.

"Watch closely, kiddos. This is how you pick a lock."

The kids gathered around eagerly.

" _Qrow_." Tai growled. "Kids, how about you wait outside."

"But I want to meet Mister Bird." Ruby protested.

"Me too." Ace added.

"If "Mister Bird" is nice I want to say hi. If he's mean we can help kick his butt." Yang said with a wild grin.

Marco could not decide between amusement and bewilderment so he felt both. Were all children like this or just Remnant ones? He watched Branwen carefully pick the lock to the cuff and made sure to keep still and as nonthreatening as possible. Their willingness to release him surprised the Phoenix. Either the Huntsmen did not know who he was, or they did know and did not care.

It was a far cry from the tales he had heard of remorseless warriors who would tear any "invader" apart (be they willing invader or an unwilling prisoner). Though Marco supposed he should know better than to rely on stories and rumors for information. The lock clicked open and Marco felt energy return to his limbs. He waited for Branwen to back away before he transformed back into a human. The children gasped and Ruby squealed.

"He  _is_  like Uncle Qrow."

"I suppose so, yoi." Marco croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. He coughed into his palm and resisted his body's request to lean against the bed behind him. He kept his hands raised and palms in view. "I am a Whitebeard Pirate. My name is Marco."

Like Marco hoped they would, Tai and Branwen relaxed at the Yonko's name. The children looked even more curious.

"What's a Whitebeard?" Ruby whispered.

"He's one of the Four Emperor pirate guys." Ace whispered back.

Ruby's eye went wide with awe. "Ohhhhh. Cool. Is his beard very big?"

Ace thought about it and shrugged. "I dunno. It must be if he's called "Whitebeard"."

Their reaction perplexed Marco. Civilians (even children) that were not under Whitebeard's protection usually reacted to the Whitebeards with fear or unease. However, he supposed these were not civilian children.

"I  _am_  in Remnant, then?" he had to ask.

Branwen confirmed his worries with a nod. "Yep. Those pirates bribed their way in. The Guardians are pissed. Especially Jimmy. He was frothing at the mouth last time I saw him."

Marco grimaced. He did not know who "Jimmy" was but had a feeling they would not get along.

"You were a prisoner on their ship. You're not in trouble." Tai interjected quickly. He shot Branwen a glare and the dark-haired man shrugged carelessly.

"Hey, he might be a Whitebeard, but you know how twitchy the Guardians and Jimmy get about unexpected visitors."

"It wasn't his fault." Tai repeated.

Branwen raised his hands. " _I_  know that. Now I just have to convince Jimmy. We were meeting with Oz when the news of pirates came in." Branwen reached for his pocket but let his hand fall away. "Of course he had to be in Vale when pirates decide to show up..."

"Who's Jimmy?" Ruby asked.

"No one important." Tai said hastily. He leaned over so he was eye level with her. "How about you go and do your homework in your room? Take Ace with you."

Ruby looked unhappy about leaving but grabbed Ace's hand and pulled him away. The boy waved to Marco and Marco instinctively waved back. The corgi growled at Marco one more time before it too flounced off after the two kids. Yang inched towards the door at a much slower pace while Tai turned to Branwen.

"You get to talk to "Jimmy" and explain what's going on."

Branwen's face twisted. "Don't make me. Could you torture me instead?"

Tai was unsympathetic. "Go be a responsible adult, Qrow."

Branwen left with a grumble, leaving Marco, Tai, and Yang. The blonde-haired girl was moving towards the door at a snail's pace. She probably wanted to stick around to hear what the adults were going to say next. Her father was having none of it.

"Yang Xiao Long, go do your homework." Tai ordered.

Yang huffed and stormed out with a rebellious mutter.

Tai rubbed his forehead. "Kids..."

He turned back to Marco, catching his gaze, and the Phoenix felt as if those eyes were trying to see his soul and his every motive. His only motive was getting back home, so he met the Huntsman's gaze steadily. His name was "Tai Xiao Long", huh? Marco put two and two together and realized where he had heard that last name. His fingertips went cold, both with awe and maybe a hint of unease.

"You're Taiyang "Dragon Storm" Xiao Long." he murmured, thinking of tales of ships and men torn to pieces by vengeful dragons made of light.

Xiao Long heard him and tipped his head. "Is that what they call me out there?"

Marco blinked, taken aback. "You do not have epithets here?"

"Oh, we do. They're just not that commonly used." Xiao Long said airily. His voice was light but he looked at Marco with a gaze as piercing as ever as it lingered on his torn clothes and battered frame. After a tense minute, he nodded to himself. "Whitebeard has a good reputation. We will contact your ship to come pick you up. Until then you can stay here with us."

Though he was surprised by the offer, Marco did not deny he was relieved. He would rather stay here than in a cell at a Guardians' base. He hesitated, then bowed at the waist. "Thank you, yoi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Does anyone have a preference whether I use "Oyaji" or "Pops" for Whitebeard? I use Seastone because I cannot spell Kairoseki easily. I forgot the spelling a lot and had to keep looking it up and that annoys me. So Seastone it is. However, I remember both Oyaji and Pops easily so which should I use? Any preference?
> 
> Good news: Lots of time to write so another quick update.
> 
> Bad news: Still sick. I barely slept last night. Tissues are my life now. Bleck.
> 
> Marco is hesitant around the Huntsmen right now because he only has rumors and horror stories to go on. Even to Yonkos, Remnant is a bit of an enigma to be left alone. Aura awakened children are like baby bears. If you touch them, expect to get torn apart by the angry parent. Plus Qrow and Taiyang are in "Overprotective/Scary Mode" because of the kids.
> 
> To better explain what the shield does to invaders that are attempting to leave (also known as I am terrible at explaining things part 6), picture what the Quarantine Enforcement Platform from Subnautica does to ships (You can look up its firing sequence on Youtube).
> 
> Ships going into Remnant are left alone, but if it sees an unapproved ship trying to leave Remnant, it locks on and blasts it to oblivion. If there is an awakened Aura on the ship, it teleports the Aura-bearing person off the vessel before blasting the ship to smithereens. It also blasts Grimm that get too close to smithereens.
> 
> This defense mechanism idea came from a dream I had. I cannot go into details now since the rest will come up later.
> 
> So yes: the shield is also a gun.
> 
> If Maria can have an epithet, so can Qrow and Taiyang (especially because this is technically One Piece's world). They will mostly be used outside of Remnant where they are more common and mostly said by One Piece characters. And before you ask, indeed, other RWBY characters are going to get epithets (and I think Ace's will be different than "Fire Fist" because I feel that will not exactly fit him in this world).
> 
> I think "Death Scythe" is a reference from something but I cannot remember what it is from. Help?


End file.
